A Green Darkness
by Blodh Skolir
Summary: Darkness is as black as night. However, the different forms it takes are not. Light may keep the darkness at bay, but what could destroy the darkness inside? Rated M for violence and language. On hiatus indefinitely while I chip away at the writer's bloc.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, this is my very first attempt to write pretty much anything, so please don't be too harsh in judging it. Constructive criticism IS appreciated, however. R&R, folks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this fictional work except for the plot (I hope).**

**~Blodh Skolir**

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**PROLOGUE**

1:17 AM – Titans Tower

At first glance, everything in the Tower seemed still. The little light there was left surreal shadows stretching down the corridors. However, if one looked closely, they may be able to see a shadowy form, flitting from shadow to shadow, almost as if it were one with them altogether.

The dark figure could be seen briefly as it left it's current succour and fled to one further down the corridor. A pneumatic hiss could be heard, and all was still. Minutes later, a recurrence of the noise sounded; signalling the shadowy figures return. It's silent footsteps were now accentuated with an almost imperceptible dripping sound. Without pausing, the figure continued with it's hidden agenda.

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5:30 AM – Titans Tower

**Robin's Room**

Robin rose from his mattress like a corpse from it's grave. Now that his alarm clock had woken him, he couldn't help but regret his choice to get in another hour of training. As active as he was, however, he forced himself up and proceeded to his en-suite to take a shower. As he walked, however, he couldn't shake a constant uneasy feeling, lodged in his gut like all three tons of Cyborg. Robin dismissed it as nothing, before picking up his towel and passing through the door.

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**Raven's Room**

Raven slowly descended to the floor as she finished her routine meditation. This whole routine was incredibly strenuous, however if she didn't persevere with it then things would be worse. A lot worse. She sighed as she picked herself up off the floor and crossed to the dresser for a fresh leotard and cloak. Once dressed, she turned to leave and prepare her herbal tea.

She froze before she could take a single step.

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**Back in Robin's room**

Robin sighed with relief as he exited the shower. The shower was just what he needed to wash away the stress from yesterday – they had had four different call-outs in the space of 3 hours – but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that he had in his gut.

What was that saying? Oh yeah. Trust your instincts. Because he had barely left the bathroom when a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the tower.

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**I can't help but feel disappointed at myself for how SHORT this chapter is, even if it is just the prologue. Anyway, R&R, constructive criticism accepted, please hold off on the flames, etc. etc. PLEASE tell me how I did! Too much detail, too little detail, too long too short whatever you think just press that one little button and let me know!**

**On a side note, my plans for updating at the moment are once a week, but don't be surprised if it takes longer as i have an unpredictable schedule.**

**Sorry for the rambling,**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, here's chapter 2 for you all. And the good thing is, IT'S EARLY! I couldn't help myself I just had to keep writing! I want to start by thanking any and all reviewers of this story, especially Sir Alwick – my first reviewer and a huge boost to my self esteem at the same time. I honestly did not expect my first review to be so positive. Thanks again people! I think once I reach chapter 5 I'm going to go back through the story and possibly change some things, both chapters so far have barely been read over and spellchecked before they get posted. Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY!**

**~Blodh Skolir**

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5:45 AM, Titans Tower, Robin's Room

Robin stood in the middle of his room, stunned by the sheer volume of the scream. Snapping himself out of his stupor, he paused only to get dressed before bolting out the door, hitting the alarm button on his way.

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**Cyborg's Room**

Cyborg awoke with a start as his emergency systems kicked in. He had programmed himself to be forcefully woken when the alarm sounded, otherwise he would remain asleep until his downtime ended. He was about to leave when something red caught his eye. Ignoring it he ran into the corridor to be met by Robin.

"What's happening?" Cyborg asked instantly.

"I heard a scream coming from somewhere in the tower!" came the anxious reply. They immediately sprinted off down the corridor to find the rest of their team. They had not gone far when Starfire rounded the corner, flying at what may well be supersonic speeds. A collision was inevitable.

"Friends, I heard a scream. What is happening?!"

"That's what we were going to find out" says Robin after picking himself up from the floor. "come on, let's go find Raven and Beast Boy." Starfire nodded in agreement before grabbing him and Cyborg by the arm and hauled them down the corridor at speeds that would make an Olympian cry.

Seconds later, they arrived outside Beast Boy's room.

"That's odd. The door's jammed." Cyborg was pulling at the side of the door, but it wouldn't budge. Robin thinks for a second before saying. "We'll sort this out later. We need to check on Raven; the scream was too high pitched to be Beast Boy anyway." He immediately heads off further down the corridor. Cyborg mutters "I wouldn't put it past the little grass stain" before sprinting after, quickly catching up to the other two.

They come to a halt outside a door with a simple plaque on, which had the name "Raven" engraved in neat calligraphy. Thankfully, this door works. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire step inside cautiously, but they were unprepared for the sight that greeted them.

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**Raven's Room**

Raven sat, huddled into a corner with her knees brought up against her chest, whimpering whilst staring at the wall opposite her. Her face had been drained of what little colour it had, and her eyes were full of horror. As the other Titans rushed towards her, she slowly came out of her reverie. As Robin, Cyborg and Starfire drew nearer, they could see the tears coursing down her normally stoic and expressionless face. "What happened?" they all questioned at the same time.

Raven's hand shook as it rose to point at the wall behind them.

There, painted in large red letters, was a single word.

**RAVEN**

The other Titans (except Cyborg) gasped in shock at the name painted onto the wall in large, red letters. As they watched, a small drop of the substance ran down the wall. Robin immediately snapped into his detective frame of mind. "Still wet" he said, as he walked forwards and smeared some of the liquid onto his hand. "And it's too thin to be paint. I'm going to need a thorough analysis of this, Cyborg." He turned around to see Cyborg staring into space, an odd look on his face.

"I'll be right back, y'all." he said. "I gotta go check on something." With that, he briskly walked out the door and went down the corridor. Robin muttered "I hope for his sake that it's important" before turning back to the two girls. Raven was now clutching at Starfire tightly, more tears running down her face as Starfire tried desperately to soothe her. After a while, Raven fell into a deep sleep.

Robin waited until Starfire had placed her back upon her bed before speaking. "There's one thing bothering me. Why her? Why would the culprit target her?" There was a whoosh as the door behind them opened, and Cyborg re-entered, his face grim. "It's not just her, traffic light. I remembered seeing something in my room before I ran into you. When I went back and checked, I found that the same thing had happened to my room. After that, I checked yours and Starfire's. Same thing there. Looks like this wasn't a specific thing after all."

Robin thought for a moment, digesting the information. "What about Beast Boy's room? Anything there?"

"No idea" came the reply, "the damn door still won't open. I tried everything short of just blasting the thing down but-" He was cut off by a rapping at the window. Robin immediately crossed over to it and pulled back the blinds, revealing a pigeon. A green pigeon. Smirking, he opened the window and the green bird hopped through before reverting into the green changeling.

"Sorry I'm late guys, the stupid door wouldn't open. What's happened?" Instead of replying, the other Titans pointed at the wall.

"Oh."

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10:16 AM, Titans Tower, living room.

The Titans sat in front of the TV, none of them watching the pointless comedy being shown. Raven sat in the middle of the sofa with her cloak wrapped tightly around her, while she drank herbal tea from a shaking cup. Every once in awhile, her face would contort into a grimace, and a bolt of black energy destroyed some menial object nearby. While her control had improved since Trigon's defeat, it was still far from perfect. Starfire hovered nearby, ready to provide any assistance that would be necessary.

Further behind them, Robin was pacing furiously, trying to puzzle out who could have done this. It was not hard to compile a list of possible suspects, but the problem was in narrowing it down. They had made many enemies over the years they had been Titans, all with a motive and most without an alibi. Robin's mind worked furiously as he went down his mental list, finding few possible suspects that could be eliminated. Eventually, he just sighed and went to make himself some coffee.

Cyborg and Beast Boy, however, were not present. Cyborg had headed down to his lab to run a chemical analysis on the substance found on the walls, while Beast Boy had returned to his room to puzzle out what was wrong with his doors, which should take him a few hours. After awhile, Cyborg returned, carrying a small tray that was occupied by a small beaker of water and a couple of brightly coloured pills. He placed the tray next to Raven. "Shock meds" he explained, "they'll help calm ya down." Cyborg then turned to Robin, taking him a little further away and giving him a report on his progress. "I'm running a chemical analysis now, but it's gonna take awhile. I was thinking we head down to the control room, look over the CCTV from the corridors last night." Robin nodded. "Let's go."

They had not gotten far when they saw Beast Boy heading towards them, cradling something in his arms. "Hey guys! You'll never believe it! Remember how my door was blocked and no-one could open it? Well, I took a look at it and I found these!" He grinned madly as he showed them an armful of small mushrooms. Laughing at the look on their faces, he took one of the mushrooms he was holding, tossed it into his mouth and ate it.

Cyborg looked him like he was insane, while Robin shouted "Are you crazy?!? they might be poisonous!" This, of course made Beast Boy laugh, saying "relax guys, I know my shrooms. These are perfectly edible." He bit into another before saying "_Agaricus campestris_, my personal favourite." with that he walked past them, still laughing. Robin and Cyborg looked at each other mutely, both thinking; '_Beast Boy knows Latin?'_

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**Chapter 2. Still not as long as I would like, but it's getting there. Slowly. Actually, it would help if reviewers told me if they prefer short chapters or long ones. Remember to R&R, people. Reviews are carrots for the plot bunny. Any questions? Just ask and I promise I WILL reply, I just don't know how quickly. Shouldn't take long though. Meanwhile, i have my own question - did I portray the characters right? Do they speak like they actually would? do they act like they should? I'm aware that Raven may be a little OOC, but that will be explained (poorly) when Raven regains the ability to speak. Hopefully. **

**I just realised I asked more than one question!**

**I'm rambling again!**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, its chapter 3 here. The last two chapters were just me rushing to get them down on paper, read through once, any obvious flaws rectified and then posted. This one is supposed to be checked through a little more thoroughly. On that note, it would be nice to have a beta reader so that they can point out any mistakes or weak plot points to me - I'm having to check through it myself. I just hope I don't crush all my inspiration into four or five chapters; it's really difficult to restrain myself. Although it probably would be impossible because I've got a hell of a lot of ideas whirring round in my head. Sometimes I have so much stuff i just end up forgetting stupid little things, like where i put my USB drive. Sometimes i hate being intelligent. But then I think; I don't hate it, I love it!**

**REVIEWER THANKS TO:-**

**Ravens Love is for a Beast**

**Vampire of Romance**

**Thanks for the reviews, guys.**

**On with the show!**

**~Blodh Skolir**

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4:30 PM, Titans Tower, control room.

The room was dark, with glowing monitors affixed to the wall illuminating the determined faces of Robin and Cyborg. Their hands created a fast paced rhythm as they worked feverishly, tapping away at numerous keyboards and watching the feeds from security cameras throughout the tower. Robin almost screamed at the lack of information they were getting. Whoever was responsible must be very good at what they do.

As he watched, however, something caught his eye. "Cyborg! Check the feed from the west wing. Do you see it?" Cyborg tapped a couple of keys, and frowned as he saw what Robin was referring to. "Why is that patch of shadows a darker shade from the rest?" After tapping away for another couple of seconds, he had isolated the relevant part of the footage. Robin was infuriated at the lack of a decent picture. "Is there any way we can get more detail?"

Cyborg tapped a couple more keys before replying; "These cameras also record in night vision. Just click the filter button in the corner of the screen." Robin did so, and smiled victoriously as he clearly saw the focus of his attention.

The figure was reasonably short, and veiled in a cloak as black as night. The way he moved in the shadows suggested he was a master of subterfuge. Robin could only think of one person.

"Slade."

Cyborg stiffened. "Let's not jump to conclusions. There could be any number of people capable of this. Besides, it looks a little short to be someone as tall as Slade."

Robin nodded, thinking. "Cyborg, can we pull up the rest of the feeds from along the corridor? I'd like to know who their priorities were: you, me, Starfire or Raven."

"Sure, though I don't know how it's going to help." He quickly brought up another two video files, from further down the corridor.

"A'ight, looks like their first stop was my room, which makes sense 'cause I'm the deepest sleeper. Then they went into your room, Raven's room and then Starfire's, before trying BB's door which wouldn't budge. So then the guy went back up the corridor, where they vanish after jumping through a window."

Robin looked troubled. "Seems like they got a lot of Intel on us. They knew which of us sleeps deepest, and where our rooms are. They obviously know the locations of the cameras since we never got a clear shot of their face. So, what are our options? We've already ruled out Slade."

Cyborg stood thinking for awhile, before saying, "I guess it could be Gizmo. Could've somehow broken through our defences and watched the security feeds. Before long he could have access to all this information, and more.

Robin shook his head. "Too tall. And somehow I doubt he could be that sneaky. Although you may be thinking along the right tracks. You remember when Brother Blood downloaded all your blueprints?" A tense nod. "Well then, couldn't he also have gotten access to the tower blueprints? From there it would have been simple to train a Hive Academy student to-

"No."

Robin looked shocked at the interruption. "What? Why not?" Cyborg shook his head before explaining. "I don't have the Tower blueprints saved in my data banks. And besides, why would he wait? And why would he just paint our names on the wall instead of actually doing some damage? It just doesn't seem well thought out enough." Robin sighed.

"I guess you're right. So that leaves us with no suspects, no way of finding them, and most of all no way of knowing what the fuck they want!"

Cyborg's human eye widened. "Calm down, man! I still got one trick up my sleeve!" He waited until Robin had calmed down before producing several small transparent spheres. "Micro cameras. We simply stick them in our rooms and wait until they strike again. When they do, these little babies will activate, and boo-yah! We got ourselves an ID." Robin looked mildly impressed. "Route their feeds into your system. If ours has been compromised, then it'll be safer if it's in yours."

A shrill beeping pierced the air. "We got a result on the Chem scan. Let's go!"

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**Living Room**

Raven had calmed down since earlier, and now her face had returned to it's emotionless state. She idly sipped at her ninth cup of tea as she waited impatiently for some news. After several minutes of waiting, she decided she'd go down to the lab and see if they had any results personally. She only stopped briefly to throw Beast Boy into a wall when he ambushed her in an attempt to get her to try his mushrooms.

Outside the lab, she saw Robin and Cyborg also heading into the lab, which meant they'd got a result. She ghosted in after them, waiting for the news and praying it was useful.

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**The Lab**

Cyborg was once again tapping away in front of a computer as he brought up the result screen. It was displayed as a bar chart showing the percentage of elements it was composed of. Guessing that Robin wouldn't have a clue what it meant, he explained. "The main element in the substance is water, which is no big surprise due to the thickness of the liquid. But here's where it gets interesting. Apparently the stuff also contains trace amounts of metals, like iron and zinc." He frowned before continuing. "The chemical make-up matches that of-

"Blood."

Robin and Cyborg spin around instantly, almost losing their balance in the process. Raven stood there, looking mildly frustrated. "The stuff on the walls of our rooms is blood. That's the main reason why I went into shock. I could have told you that myself if I were capable of speech."

Cyborg was flabbergasted. "How the hell did you figure that out?!?"

She smirked at his expression before tapping her nose. "Half demon, remember? Demons can smell blood a mile away. The smell was so strong that for a moment I thought I would lose control. That's why I was so scared. "

The two nodded, silently cursing themselves for not realising. Cyborg began typing again. "I'm running a basic DNA scan. Shouldn't take more than a couple of seconds." Half a minute later, the results came in. Both Robin and Raven sensed Cyborg's confusion. "That can't be right. The results say that this blood ain't human, or metahuman for that matter."

"Demon?" Raven asked.

"I doubt it. There's absolutely no similarity between this blood and yours. In fact, there aren't any similarities with anything at all. Either the scan screwed up, which I doubt, or what we're dealing with is something completely new altogether." All three teens looked troubled at this information. "I'll run it through all the databases. Ya never know, we might get lucky. ETA roughly 9 hours."

Robin sighed. "Well, I guess we better clean up the mess".

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8:00 PM, Titans Tower, Living room

The five teen Titans had all gathered in the centre of the room. Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy were sat on the sofa whilst Robin and Cyborg were explaining their plan. "Since we still got several hours until the DNA scan is complete, we've decided to hold the results until morning. Since last night's events, we've decided to give you each state-of-the-art micro-cameras to place in your rooms. Theoretically, they should be undetectable whilst providing a clear picture of the criminal. They will not, however, prevent them from striking again."

Later that night the teens returned to their respective rooms, each placing their new cameras in secure locations. The events of the day were so emotionally draining that despite fearing for their safety they all sank into sleep relatively quickly. Not one of them, however, slept well. Each of them knew what they would find come sunrise.

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**Not sure that I ended it well or that it's all that interesting. I'm particularly irritated at the dialogue - conversations aren't my strong point. Although, that may just be me being paranoid. Again. This chapter is slightly longer than the last, but not by much I think. I was forced to end it here because the next chapter is going to have some answers, and I can't think of any way to drag out this chapter any farther. Oh yeah, I'm thinking of making a little Q&A section down here. Send in questions and I'll post their answers in the next chapter, unless they're personal or not too important. On a side note, if you think you figured out whodunnit, send me a PM. Of course, once the next chapter's up I won't be taking any more PMs, because it's gonna get REALLY obvious, I think. **

**Do I talk too much?**

**On second thoughts, don't answer that.**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey people. I'm bloody tired of not being able to sleep. It's 4 AM over here and I haven't slept at all so far. I hate my cough. Just won't go away. Anyway, I'm feeling particularly bad about the lame explanation of Raven's reaction in the first two chapters. I'm sure I could have though up something better if I'd spent a little more time on it. On a different note, I'm spicing things up a bit in this chapter, and a couple of questions get answered as well as new questions being asked; although quite a few will already know or have guessed the answers. All I can say to those who have is PLEASE don't spoil it for others.**

**~Blodh Skolir**

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6:00 AM, Titans Tower, Raven's Room.

Raven was woken abruptly by the sensation of something hitting her face. Something damp. Recalling the events of the previous night, she had no doubts as to what it was. Touching her face, she was unsurprised when she saw her fingers stained crimson. The smell assailed her demonic sense of smell like the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbour. She pinched her nose shut before lighting the candles she kept by her bedside. Briefly dazzled by the light, she quickly adjusted and looked upwards, wondering what was written this time.

What she saw, confused her. Not her name. Not the name of one of the other Titans. No threats or demands. Just a single word. One word which completely vexed the knowledgeable empath.

**WHY?**

Why what? What had she ever done to whoever kept doing this? The questions flew around inside her head like Starfire on drugs. Dismissing them for a later time, she strode over to the alarm button on the wall, and calmly activated the yellow and black switch. She immediately heard the siren go off and saw the flashing red lights from under her door.

She used her communicator to debrief the other Titans before heading to the living room where they were to gather. Robin was already there, pacing as usual. Starfire was raiding the fridge for more mustard. Cyborg and Beast Boy were still absent. Raven noticed that no-one looked particularly surprised. Robin looked aggravated, whilst Starfire had a look of hope on her face. Whether it was from the hunt for mustard or the second chance at catching the villain, Raven wasn't too sure.

Using her senses, she located the missing Titans. Cyborg was running through all the security footage from the micro-cameras, whilst Beast Boy was taking a long shower, calm as always. His mind always was an enigma. Raven briefly wondered how someone so stupid could have such a complex mind. It was full of twists and turns and locked doors and -

Raven forced herself out of his head. She had sworn to herself not to invade someone's privacy like that unless absolutely necessary, and curiosity was no exception. She was jolted out of her reverie when someone said her name. "Friend Raven? What is that ugly red stain on your face?"

Sighing, Raven turned to face the Tameranian princess before replying. "Blood. The message was written on the ceiling, directly above my bed."

At this simple sentence Starfire gasped, while Robin just hissed angrily through his teeth. "How did they manage to get a message on the ceiling without waking you, Raven? I would've though you would be woken up by it," Robin seethed. Before Raven could reply, the doors slid open to reveal the cybernetic teen, Cyborg. By the look on his face, he was even more confused than they.

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"Guys, ya better get a look at this. I'm not sure what the hell it is, but it's definitely somethin'." He crossed over to the large plasma screen TV at the far end of the room, opening a compartment in his arm before interfacing himself with it. "I was going over the film from last night. Not just the micro-cams either. I looked at the camera outside Raven's room, and despite going over the entire film, _twice_, I found nothin'."

"Confusing, I know. After that, I checked the micro-cam in her room. I'm not sure what to make of what it filmed." He tapped a few buttons in the compartment in his arm. Quickly, the TV turned on to reveal the inside of Raven's room. Raven could be seen sleeping peacefully in her bed, twitching every now and then for some unknown reason.

Before long, just caught in the corner of the screen, the cloaked figure was seen swinging agilely through the window to land on the floor, not making so much as a whisper of cloth on cloth. His hooded face swept the room, before his gaze came to rest on the camera. The figure paced towards the camera purposefully, still not making any noise. Once they reached the camera, the hooded face filled the screen.

Abruptly, their face split into a maniacal grin. What little light there was reflected off the figure's teeth, dazzling the camera. Raven, Robin and Starfire barely had time to realise the grin seemed very familiar, before the figure took the camera between finger and thumb before crushing the little piece of expensive technology.

After the feed died, Robin asked "Was it just me, or was that grin strangely familiar?" All three Titans nodded. Cyborg spoke up. "That's kinda why I showed you the tape. We obviously know the person behind this, but no-one can seem to remember who they are." At this point, the doors opened once more, admitting a cheerful-looking Beast Boy. "Hey guys, what'd I miss? Someone dead?" he joked, seeing the grim looks on their faces.

Immediately, their expressions changed to ones of anger. Raven, floating with her eyes now glowing, responded with a "You will be, if you don't shut the hell up." Robin and Cyborg just glared at the changeling angrily, while Starfire, with glowing green eyes, berated him in a voice that reverberated throughout the Tower. "How DARE you laugh at a time like this?! I fail to see anything that is remotely humorous!"

What happened next came as a surprise to everyone in the room. The thousand-watt grin immediately disappeared, and the light in Beast Boy's eyes dimmed visibly. In a cold, dead voice, he responded. "It's how I cope with my life. Sometimes, laughing is the only thing that keeps me motivated. Finding joy in the little things, since I have so little to be happy about. Ever since my parents died." With that he pivoted on his heels before marching from the room, completely ignoring the fact he had yet to make himself breakfast.

After that, the remaining four Titans stood in silence.

10:00 Am, Titans Tower, Living Room

Robin wanted to scream.

After over a day of searching, analysing, deducing, thinking, but most of all, failing, It was plain to everyone that the normally fearless leader of the Titans was quickly coming apart at the seams.

Cyborg, for a lack of something else to do, was going over the footage from the last two nights repeatedly. He was determined to find something, somewhere the intruder slipped up. Somewhere, where the intruder somehow revealed their identity.

Raven, on the other hand, simply sat on the sofa in the middle of the room. She was staring out the window, and though others may assume she was lost in thought, she wasn't. She knew exactly where she was; the only thing is, she wasn't in her own thoughts. Since the incident earlier, she had decided to find out more about the changeling. She wasn't reading his mind, she was simply reading his surface thoughts, like she had so many times before.

What she found was both enlightening, and disturbing. He had reminisced on the demise of his parents. A boating accident. The most surprising thing was the self-loathing Raven felt emanating from the green teen at the memory. It was replayed again and again, Beast Boy thinking about all the different ways he could have saved them. He blamed himself for their death.

Unable to stand the negative thoughts any longer, Raven withdrew her mind from his. Despite the hatred she had felt from the memories, she was certain that this memory was not the source of his problems. She was also certain, however, that if she had dove any deeper she would have been overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of his self hate. If that happened, there would be no telling what her powers would do.

Shuddering at the thought, she glanced around the room. Robin was still pacing, while Cyborg was going over the CCTV on the TV screen. Raven vaguely recalled Starfire saying something about 'The Mall of Shopping', and from what she sensed earlier, Beast Boy was beating the shit out of a punching bag in the gym. Her mind once more on the changeling, she idly wondered why no-one had bothered learning about his past. Had they dismissed it as inconsequential? Or had they simply not cared?

Shaking her head, Raven got up and headed to the roof. She needed to meditate, and her room wasn't exactly the best place, what with the blood and all. When she reached the roof, she sighed with relief as the fresh air bathed her. It was at this point that she remembered she still had the blood spot on her face from earlier. She reached up and started to scratch the now dry bloodstain off. Pausing, she leant to sniff the blood under her nails.

There was something oddly familiar about the smell. Sighing, she contemplated this new revelation. It appears the culprit was not just familiar, but had also bled before in their company. This didn't exactly narrow down the list much, she had come across injured civilians countless times. But the familiarity of the blood hinted at someone closer. A sneaking suspicion crept into her mind.

She quickly floated to the base of the Tower. Flying quickly over the terrain, she finally arrived at Terra's resting place. Raven figured that she was Slade's apprentice, meaning he could have taught her how to be as stealthy as him, and she also had the right sort of build to be the villain. Entering, she sighed with relief to see that Terra was still rock-bound. That was another scratch off the list.

Raven transported herself back to the roof of Titans Tower, intending to inform Robin of the whole familiar-blood thing. Before she could descend, however, she heard a small scuffing noise behind her. Turning, she saw Beast Boy standing on the very edge of the rooftop, looking straight down.

"Beast Boy?" She queried warily. She did not want to push him, considering his earlier frame of mind and the close proximity of the edge of the multi-story tower. He did not even look up before responding. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be just...free? Free from all the stress and hate in the world, free from everything that ties you down?"

Raven did not like where this train of thoughts was heading. "You know as well as I do that no matter how hard you try, you will never be completely free of everything. Just as I cannot be free from my demonic heritage, you cannot be free from your past." She saw the look on Beast Boy's face. _SHIT _she cursed mentally, as she saw his expression tighten, his resolve firming.

He did the unthinkable.

He stepped off the side of the tower.

* * *

"BEAST BOY!" Raven screamed after him running to the edge, looking down helplessly. Even her soul form couldn't catch up to him now. Raven could only watch as he plummeted to the ground, laughing crazily as he fell. She had given up all hope when he suddenly changed into a falcon and pulled out of the dive, barely scraping the ground, before he shot back up to the roof of the tower.

Resuming his human form, the green teen burst out laughing at the look on Raven's face. He couldn't help it. That is, until a nimbus of black energy shut his mouth for him. Raven's eyes began glowing red, and she slowly grew in height, her cloak lengthening with her. Black tendrils of energy began to make themselves known as they lashed around the hem of the cloak.

**"WHAT the HELL did you do that for?! Did you WANT to scare me shitless?! I though you were going to KILL yourself, and it was all some stupid PRANK!?!" **Raven was screaming at him now, her dark tentacles threatening to drag him under her dark cloak. Raven had almost fully lost control now. The black energy holding his mouth shut dissipated, revealing an incredibly toothy grin.

"So you DO care, huh Raven?" Was all he said as he nimbly sidestepped a lash from a tentacle. Something about this startled Raven so much that her eyes immediately returned to their normal colour. She rapidly shrank, and her rampant energies were withdrawn back under the cloak. She stood still, her mouth open and her eyes wide, gaping like a fish, for about fifteen seconds before her eyes closed and promptly collapsed.

"I guess the whole demon thing really takes lot outta her." Beast Boy mused as he picked her up. As he carried her to the infirmary, he had to restrain himself from doing a little jig. _I'm actually touching Raven, and I'm not dead!_ Sure she was unconscious, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. His jovial mood was quickly replaced by a growing fear._ Shit, what'll I do when she wakes up?_ He shrugged, placing her on one of the metallic beds, before pulling up a chair and sat next to her._ Ah well, _he thought, _I'll take it as it comes, like I always have._

* * *

**That's it for now, I'm afraid. I was originally planning to reveal the one responsible for all the night scares this chapter, but I realised the chapter was getting a little long. Sorry, people! I can't help it if my genius has ran off with the plot, and I can't catch up to take it back. I guess I'll have to go hot-wire a car or something. Anyway, I PROMISE the bad guy will get revealed next chapter. Or possibly the next. I kinda had a little fun on this chapter, despite a momentary writers' block just past halfway through. Little hint, Raven didn't collapse from fatigue, but something else. Care to guess what?**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry it's been so long. My excuses are poor, at best. First of all, there's the fact I had an interview for Work Experience (yes, I'm only 14, big deal). Second is the fact that my sleeping patterns are being fucked up. Half the time, I can sleep through the night. The next day I stay awake until it's six in the morning. Etc., etc. Anyway, like I said last chapter I should be revealing the doer of the dastardly deed this chapter, unless I lose myself in some menial plot twist or something. And to those who haven't guessed it, Raven passed out because she was summoned into her mind.**

**REVIEWER THANKS**

**DarkRapture: I feel the same way. Thanks!**

**Apart from that, no more reviews. I'd say I'm disappointed, but I'm writing too quickly to get too many reviews per chapter. So no, I'm not disappointed.**

**ADDITIONAL THANKS TO ANYONE WHO ADDED MY STORY TO FAVOURITES, OR WHO PUT IT ON ALERT!**

**~BlodhSkolir**

* * *

3:00 PM, Raven's Mind

Raven landed with a loud thud. Picking herself up, she immediately looked around to grab her bearings. Once she was sure of where she was, she set off in the direction of Knowledge's domain. Passing through the doorway, she entered a vast library with bookcases stretching as far as the eye could see. Each bookcase was bedecked with dozens of books, each cataloguing a different day of her life in extreme detail.

Turning to her right, Raven saw her yellow duplicate sitting at what appeared to be a welcome desk. Once Raven reached the desk, she tapped Knowledge on the shoulder. "Greetings, Raven." Came the response. "I suppose you are here due to the unfortunate event that took place on the roof of Titan's Tower?" Raven nodded. Knowledge turned in her chair and picked up a large volume which she had been writing in.

The volume was identical to those on the shelves, meaning that this book was the catalogue of what had happened so far today. As Raven watched, she saw more words being written by a floating pen encased in a yellow energy. Knowledge flicked through the large book, searching for the relevant time period, in addition to the relevant data. "Ah, there we are," she said in a pleased tone. "I'll be right back in a second. There's something you need to see." And with that, Knowledge disappeared in a burst of yellow magic. Pulling up a chair, Raven began to read.

* * *

3:00 PM, Titans Tower, Medical Bay

Beast Boy stood up from his chair beside Raven's limp form. Stretching, he decided that he would go and get some food; provided that Cyborg hadn't fed all the tofu to Silkie again. It quickly became apparent, however, that this was indeed the case. Once Beast Boy had entered the kitchen, he immediately tripped over the small larva. Beast Boy fell on top of Silkie, causing it to expel a large number of tofu products.

Sighing, Beast Boy walked over to the fridge and took all the bacon, sausages, ham and anything else made of meat before dropping them all in the quickly expanding pool of Silkie's vomit, making sure they got a thorough coating. He had just finished returning them to the fridge when the alarm went off, tinting the entirety of the tower red. Everyone except Raven immediately rushed into the Common Room to find out who triggered the alert, and where they were.

The large map on-screen signalled that the location under attack was a large warehouse in the centre of the city, used for stockpiling electronics. The team immediately set out, Starfire and Beast Boy flying, Robin on the R-Cycle and Cyborg in the T-Car. Upon arrival, the warehouse appeared to be deserted. Birdarangs in hand, Robin approached cautiously, alert for any sort of disturbance.

At around twelve feet in, he heard voices. Whoever they were, they sounded like they were arguing. He motioned for Starfire and Cyborg to sneak around them to attack them from the other side. At Robin's hushed command, Beast Boy morphed into a small cat and padded under the boxes towards the voices. He came across an open area in the middle of the warehouse, where a single person was kneeling on the floor, clutching at her head.

She appeared to be the source of the different voices, although there were at least three different voices. Sure that they were no threat, Beast Boy crept back through the boxes to report to Robin. Reverting to human form, he said "There's a girl kneeling in the middle of an open space. They're the only one there, but there's at least three voices! What the hell's going on?" Robin clamped his hand over Beast Boy's mouth, fearing he had been heard.

"Quiet!" He hissed, before opening his communicator. "Cyborg, there's one suspect in the middle of the warehouse. They seem to be incapacitated, but proceed with caution." Cyborg replied the affirmative before shutting his communicator and moving out. They rounded the corner to see the small girl, still apparently talking to herself. She was dressed in plain black clothing with the same shade of hair, the only thing noticeable was her pure white skin.

Starfire immediately flew forward, fearing the young girl was hurt. "Are you all right? We do not wish you any harm." Starfire landed beside the girl, looking concerned. Just as this happened, Robin came around a corner and cried, "Starfire! Be careful!" Unfortunately, his loud voice alerted the girl, who lashed out at Starfire. Amazingly, the punch sent her shooting into the air, creating a loud crash as she impacted with the shelving.

However, this was not the most shocking development. What was more shocking was the arm with which she struck. Instead of the single opaque arm it had been before, it had separated into three different semi-transparent arms. One was red, one yellow and the last blue. As the Titans watched, the small girl split into three girls, each identical save the colour. Just like the arm, each was a different primary colour.

Each doppelgänger grinned evilly, saying in unison "We are Schizophrenia. We shall be your downfall". With that, they sprang into action, each heading to a different Titan. Starfire was still unconscious from earlier, so it was an even fight. The peculiar thing was that each clone fought in exactly the same style as the other. They opened the fight with a flying kick to the face.

Beast Boy morphed into a tiger, deftly dodging the blue copy's attacks before springing at them, pinning them to the floor. This was quickly countered by a double-footed kick, sending the changeling soaring through the air before he morphed into a hummingbird, slowing his descent. Nearby, he saw Cyborg sent careening into shelving by a powerful butterfly kick.

This use of Martial Arts did not go unnoticed by Robin, who raised his guard just in time to block a four knuckle strike, intended to break his jaw. Whoever Schizophrenia was, they were obviously proficient at Taekwondo. However, Robin was better. He broke through the yellow duplicate's guard with an axe kick, then span round and struck with a triple aero kick, quickly reducing his opponent into unconsciousness.

By now, Cyborg had recovered from his brief flight, and looked up to see a red heel descending on his face. He caught the foot, and kicked his attacker into the air. Without pausing, he armed his Sonic Cannon, blasting the red copy back through several shelves while they were still in the air. He quickly made sure they were unconscious before checking to see if Starfire was OK. She would likely have a mild concussion when she woke up, but apart from that he was fine.

After seeing Cyborg was fine, Robin turned to see if Beast Boy needed any help. He was incredibly surprised with what he saw. Best Boy was in human form, not bothering to morph as he struck the blue figure again and again, forcing them further and further back. Though Beast Boy's attacks were not precise or strong, they were quick enough that the doppelgänger was having a hard time blocking soon enough.

Beast Boy soon had the duplicate against a wall, and without anywhere to run her guard quickly broke, allowing Beast Boy's first strike to hit her directly in the temple, instantly knocking her out. Before she even hit the floor, Beast Boy threw her bodily into the centre of the warehouse. The limp form landed on her yellow copy, and they merged to form a single green person, slightly more opaque as they were when they were separate entities.

Once Cyborg added the red clone to the pile, the figure returned to her original state, once more fully visible. Her prone body was quickly cuffed and carried outside, where a police car was waiting to take her to prison. After filling in the officers about her particular powers, Robin walked over to Cyborg. Beast Boy had already headed back to the tower. Cyborg had a puzzled look on his face, and when Robin approached he asked; "When was the last time you seen BB fight like that? It was amazing!"

Robin grimaced before replying. "Last time I saw him like that was when the Beast took over. We better be on the lookout." Robin's expression turned thoughtful. "Do you think she could have been the one that keeps breaking into the Tower? She certainly seems skilled enough." Cyborg though about it for a second before responding. "Naw man, remember? The blood wasn't human. She obviously is, so unless she's using someone else's blood, it can't have been her."

Suddenly, Cyborg's human eye widened. "Crap, we forgot to get the DNA test results! They mighta found somethin'!" He immediately began sprinting to the T-car where Starfire lay, still unconscious. Robin, however, held him back. "No need to hurry. The likelihood that it actually found anything is incredibly small, given it's unique nature. We may as well go for a pizza first."

Cyborg's face broke into a grin. "Alright! Since no-one's here to argue, we can have the Mexican Meat Feast, with extra chicken, pork, bacon... ah hell with it! Let's just have extra EVERYTHING!" Amused by Cyborg's reaction, Robin chuckled before heading over to Starfire to try wake her up. He didn't need to, though, as he saw Starfire climbing out the car and walking his way. "Hey Star! We're going for pizza, wanna join us?" Starfire's reaction was excruciatingly predictable. A gasp, a hug, a brief apology before heading off to the pizza restaurant, T-Car and R-Cycle in tow.

* * *

5:00 PM, Titans Tower, Beast Boy's Room

Beast Boy dug through his underwear drawer, obviously looking for something. This particular drawer was the perfect hiding place for anything, given it's nature and the fact the contents belonged to Beast Boy. It was remarkable how many clothes he had. The room was strewn with various articles of clothing, and yet he still had more than enough to fill his drawers to the brim.

Exclaiming in victory, he pulled out a tattered shoe box. Upon opening it, he saw a large sheaf of papers, each written on in his very own untidy scrawl. Pulling out the top sheet, Beast Boy laughed. Not his usual laugh, but a deeper, scarier maniacal laugh. Raven was still unconscious, and the others were still out, no doubt eating a pizza buried in murder meat. Now was the perfect time to proceed with 'The Plan'.

Suddenly, Beast Boy became flooded with doubt. _Why am I doing this again? _Such thoughts were soon quenched by Him. _**They deserve it. This is the perfect revenge. **_Beast Boy's worried frown was replaced by a confident smirk. Replacing the box, he decided that he had some time to spare, so he left his room and headed down the corridor, heading for the Medical Bay. However, his hyper-sensitive ears soon picked up an annoying beeping noise coming from one of the nearby doors.

He opened the door briefly, and cursed. It appears that he would have to skip to the final part of his plan. He sighed; it had been such a good plan, especially for him._ Ah well,_ he thought, _You can't have everything._ He then headed back to his room. He needed some things from his shoebox.

6:30 PM, Raven's Mind, Knowledge's Library.

* * *

Raven pored over the several books that Knowledge had brought her. The parts Knowledge had designated as relevant were outlined in a soft yellow glow. Raven's eyebrows knitted together, her head quickly rotating from book to book, then back again. She couldn't believe what she had just found. It was impossible. It had to be a lie, it couldn't be true!

She felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Knowledge standing behind her. Knowledge's face was understanding. "Now you know." Raven looked down, trying to keep a hold of her rampant emotions. She knew they would not harm anything in her own mind, but even unconscious her emotions would destroy her surrounding. Looking back up, she asked angrily, "Why didn't you tell me in the first place?! You could have saved me a lot of time, I could have done something earlier!"

Knowledge simply shook her head. "This sort of thing is best discovered for yourself. In this, Wisdom and I are in agreement. Also, it makes no difference how long it took; I am sure you still have time to sort out this whole fiasco." Raven sighed in defeat. Standing, she headed to the doorway. "Can I go now? I need to solve this before anything else happens." Raven's eyes briefly glowed red as Knowledge shook her head.

"You still have not regained control of your emotions. If you go now, and lose control, you could seriously injure or even kill him! I know you don't want that on your conscience, after all, I am a significant part of it." At this, a loud bout of laughter could be heard. "Dammit, Happy! You know you shouldn't be in here!" The laughter just intensified, and a figure in a pink cloak dropped from the top of a nearby bookcase.

Despite the huge drop and landing on her side, Happy didn't seem injured at all. She leapt to her feet, screamed "HIYA RAVIE!" before giving the shocked empath a bone-crushing hug and running to the door, making aeroplane noises and angling her arms as if they were wings. Throughout this entire incident, Raven just stood there, eyelid twitching and shocked beyond coherent thought. Knowledge sighed, rubbing her temples. "At least she's not losing control any more."

6:30 PM, Titans Tower, Common Room

* * *

Cyborg, Starfire and Robin came through the door, still discussing the fight. "Did you see the way they fought? All three of them knew martial arts, and they were good at it, too!" Robin was saying excitedly. Starfire agreed with Robin like she always did, before saying "They were also incredibly strong. I believe their strength may have been on a parallel to a lesser Tameranian's." Cyborg couldn't help but wince as he rubbed his jaw; "Damn straight. That kick almost knocked the cybernetic part of my head off! It would've cost a fortune to replace that!" not mentioning the fact he would die within a day.

At this point, they realised they had exhausted this conversation. Cyborg sighed, and said "I guess we better check up on the DNA test. So much crap goin' on we just forgot about it." Robin nodded, but Starfire shook her head, saying "I feel wearied after today's battle I believe I will go to sleep early tonight." Robin nodded in understanding.

"That blow to the head was really strong, I'm not surprised you're so tired. 'Night Starfire." Cyborg echoed the sentiment. "May you have the Night of Goodness also, friends." With that, Starfire flew into her room. The two boys headed in the opposite direction, towards the lab. They soon heard the beeping of the computer. They started running, knowing the beep meant the computer had found a match.

In the next room over, Raven finally stirred. She rose clutching her head, still trying to find some form of order in her thoughts. Eventually, she managed to suppress the swell of thoughts, singling out the one she needed. She shook as she came to a realisation.

Cyborg and robin had recovered from the shock of the news, too. They started to stammer. "It... no, it... it can't be... It cant have been....."

From both rooms there came a single name.

"Beast Boy?!"

* * *

**So, how'd I do? Good? Bad? Was I missing something? I'm almost positive I didn't. To anyone who guessed, CONTABULATIONS! To those who didn't, SURPRISE! Since it wasn't said before, I figured I'd better say it now. The major reason I didn't update as soon as all the other times is that I suffered from MAJOR writer's block this chapter. I knew what I wanted to end with, but I had no idea as to how I was going to make this chapter longer than 1,000 words. However, I have a new motto now, and that is; "WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE, ADD A FIGHT SCENE!" It worked surprisingly well, actually. Filled up just the right amount of space. That's all for today, I guess.**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, this is Chapter 6. Sorry it's so short. Chapter 6 is basically a recount of the past few chapters, condensed and from Beast Boy's point of view. I'm hoping this will answer a few questions, but to be honest I don't know the questions in the first place, so... yeah. Anyway, BIG thanks to my reviewers, especially DarkRapture. Nothing against the others, but this guy has been VERY supportive and encouraging.

**OTHER REVIEWER THANKS:**

**Raven's Love is for a Beast – thanks for the review as well as the author and story alert in addition to favourite story.**

**Keep the reviews coming! Although, even if I don't get any I'll keep writing because I love writing this fic. ^.^**

* * *

_Flashback, 1:00 AM, Titans Tower, 1 day ago_

_Beast Boy dug through a seemingly random pile of junk in the corner of his room. With a sigh of relief, he pulled out something slim and shiny, glimmering as the moonlight reflected off it's steel surface. He hastily donned his dark robes, purchased a week ago from a store downtown. As he approached his door, he produced a yellow powder which he sprinkled at the corner of his door. The spores would grow quickly._

_Beast Boy hurried to the window, morphing into a sparrow. He quickly flew to a window nearby that led to the main corridor, morphed into a small insect, and hid in the plentiful shadows. Morphing back to human, he couldn't resist showing off his skill at keeping silent. He waited until the security cameras had almost passed before darting to another nearby patch of shadows._

_He continued in this manner until he reached his first destination; Cyborg's Room. His face split into a grin, a maniacal glint in his eye. '__**Soon, they will all pay!' **__The voice reminded him as he moved swiftly into the room. He knew Cyborg would not wake no matter how much noise he made, so not bothering to hide his footsteps he crossed to a nearby wall._

_From the folds of his robes Beast Boy produced the shining metal object. It was a knife, one side of the blade serrated. Beast Boy swiftly ran the blade across his hand, creating a deep gash that vomited blood like a drunkard. Allowing his lifeblood to run down to his fingers, he proceeded to write. Once this was done, he proceeded to the next room, and the next and the one after that before heading back to his room._

_For appearance's sake, he pulled on the side of the door, seemingly trying to get it open. The door wouldn't move, meaning the spores had done their work. He officially had an alibi. He then hurried down the hall, sticking to the deepest shadows, before leaping out of the window from whence he came._

* * *

_Flashback, 10:16 AM, Titans Tower, 1 day ago_

_Beast Boy had stashed the incriminating items away, and set to work fixing his door. It didn't take long to remove the now fully grown mushrooms from the door's inner workings. The atmosphere in Beast Boy's room is apparently perfect for cultivating fungi. Beast Boy left his doorway to show the others his 'discovery'. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't resist showing off. "Agaricus campestris, my personal favourite." _

_Beast Boy silently berated himself. He had let the façade slip, and now people would begin to suspect that he was not as dim-witted as he tried so hard to appear. This meant it would be all the more likely that the Boy Blunder would figure him out. Of course, he knew he would eventually, but hopefully the plan would be finished by then._

* * *

_Flashback, 4:30 PM, Titans Tower, 1 day ago_

_Beast Boy pressed his ear against the wall of the Control Room, eavesdropping on the conversation being held on the other side of the locked door. His ultra-sensitive ears were able to pick up every word being spoken on the other side. "Cyborg! Check the feed from the west wing. Did you see it?" Beast Boy stiffened. Somehow, they had found him. They were that much closer to finding him out._

_Suddenly, Beast Boy heard a beeping from inside the control room, then Cyborg's voice. "We got a result on the Chem Scan. Let's go!" There was only time to morph into a fly before both Cyborg and Robin barrelled through the door and headed down the corridor. Beast Boy followed, dreading that they had found him out already and that he would not have time to complete 'The Plan'._

_He quickly reassured himself. They had said it was a Chem Scan, not a DNA test. All this could mean is that they figured out it was blood, which Raven would have been able to tell them already. All the same, he quickly proceeded to his room. It was time to initiate Phase Two.__Flashback, 1:00 AM, Titans Tower, Earlier today_

* * *

_Beast Boy agilely swung through the window to Raven's Room, once more garbed in the black robe. He made no sound when he landed, nor when he walked over to the 'hidden' micro-camera. He had quickly discovered that these minuscule security devices had their own unique smell, and from there it was not hard to pinpoint it's location. He had placed his own on top of the desk of his room, 'accidentally' covering it in clothes._

_Beast Boy couldn't help but grin when he thought about Bird Boy and what his reaction would be when he found out that Beast Boy had effectively neutralised the extra security in his room. He quickly crushed Raven's micro-camera before leaping at the ceiling, latching onto it via suction cups that emerged from his skin; He had long since learnt how to morph individual parts of his body._

_Quickly moving over to just above Raven's bed, he used one un-morphed to take the knife out of his hidden pocket. Holding it in his teeth, he once more sliced open his palm, using the free flowing blood as ink as he wrote on the ceiling. Now all he had to do was escape before Raven awoke. He let go of the roof, falling to the floor, but his landing was off and created a dull thump._

_Beast Boy froze, glancing at the sleeping form of Raven. She was twitching slightly, but apart from that seemed to be sleeping still. He held back a sigh of relief, knowing that he may not be so lucky the second time. He silently crossed over to the window once more before leaping out and returning to his room. He figured it would be best if he got some sleep, he might need the energy later in the day._

* * *

_Flashback, 11:00 AM, Titans Tower, earlier in the day_

_Beast Boy carried the limp form of Raven from the rooftop, heading towards the Medical Bay. The concerned scream from earlier assuaged his mind. Maybe he didn't need to go though with 'The Plan' after all. __**'It's too late to turn back now. Once they find out what you have done, they will immediately lock you in jail.' **_

_The Voice raised a valid point. By now there was no turning back; he had gone too far with the plan. If he turned back now, he would get thrown into jail and would never again get the chance for revenge. Regardless, he took Raven and placed her on one of the metal cots. He left her there, knowing that she was in her own mind and most likely piecing together the clues._

_After getting revenge on Cyborg for throwing away the tofu, Beast Boy heard the alarm and headed to the Common Room. After getting debriefed, the Titans minus Raven headed out to the warehouse. This villain had a very strange power, and the attacks hurt like hell. Before he could stop it, his anger burst forth and he began to beat back his opponent, not even bothering to morph._

_He quickly reduced her to unconsciousness, and threw her into the middle of the room to become one with the other clones. Afterwards, he quickly left the scene hoping that his 'friends' had __not noticed his strange behaviour, although he knew the chances of that were slim. He dug through his drawer, knowing that he had to proceed with the plan before the other got back. Once 'The Voice' had overcome the last of his doubt, he headed over to check on Raven._

_He heard a beeping noise coming from the door next to the Medical Bay. Opening the door, he saw the display and cursed. He would have to proceed straight to the Final Phase of 'The Plan'. He headed back to his room; he still had some time to prepare before the others returned, he just hoped Raven would not wake up before he was finished. He took the necessary items from his shoebox before heading off to prepare._

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter. I know you probably want to know what the Final Phase of the plan is, but this chapter had been planned from the start and was necessary, giving a more thorough analysis of Beast Boy's frame of mind. And now, before I leave, a word of warning. The next chapter WILL be very dark, and a lot of blood will be involved. Plenty of blood, and possibly a plot twist unless I can find a way to fill chapter 7 without it so that it can go in the one after. Once again, sorry for such a short chapter.**

**~BlodhSkolir**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, it's chapter 7! Chapter 6 was so short I thought I better type up another chapter quickly to make up for it. Consequently, I have no reviewer thanks or anything except for my top reviewer DarkRapture because I haven't given anyone a chance to review last chapter. Anyway, this chapter picks up where Chapter 5 left off. The Titans have discovered that the midnight marauder was in fact Beast Boy, and are heading off to confront him about it. However, another force is at work here... and only one person has guessed what it is (you know who you are). Thanks to DarkRapture for giving me a way to lengthen the chapter; without it I'm sure the chapter would be just as short as the last one.**

**~Blodh Skolir**

* * *

7:00 PM, Titans Tower,

Medical Bay

Raven leapt off the metal bed with astonishing alacrity. Sprinting out into the corridor, she met with Robin and Cyborg just as they emerged from next door. Simultaneously, all three shouted "It's Beast Boy!" Without pausing to laugh at the situation, Robin and Cyborg sprinted off down the corridor, while Raven transported herself directly into Beast Boy's room. It was empty.

Looking around, she found the dark robes that he had been wearing and the knife he had been using. It was still stained with blood. A thought struck her; how could Beast Boy lose so much blood without dying? At the very least he should have slipped into a coma. She made a mental note to ask Cyborg about it later.

A small piece of paper caught Raven's eye. She traversed the room carefully so as not to trip over anything, and picked up the scrap. Flattening it, she found it was a note. It read:

_Raven,_

_I wrote this because I knew you would be the first to figure it out, and the first to arrive. There are two more pieces of paper around the tower, and if you put them together it will reveal my location. This note is for your eyes only; if you show this to anyone else, I will move, and you will never find me._

_Everything will be made clear._

_Beast Boy_

Quickly pocketing the piece of paper, she left the room, coming face to face with Robin. "He's not here". Robin cursed quietly before sprinting down to the Control Room. Seconds later, Titans Tower was on lockdown. Meanwhile, Raven was moving in the opposite direction, heading to her room to find the 'clue'. She quickly tapped in the 4-digit code to open the door, and immediately started looking around for the piece of paper that should be there.

She found it quickly. It was not even hidden, simply taped to the wall behind her bed. There were small squares missing from it, and between them there were letters that seemed random in order. It read:

**O T HE F**

Obviously, the other note would clarify this, so she immediately set off for Robin's room. Raven found nothing here, so she headed off to check everyone else's bedrooms. However, she found nothing in any of them. Infuriated, she read the first note again.

* * *

7:30 PM, Titan's Tower, Common Room.

"Robin, you tellin' me that _Beast Boy _of all people managed to break into all your rooms, write on the walls in his own _blood _and managed to completely disappear from the most secure building in Jump?!" Robin had contacted Bumblebee to get some help in finding Beast Boy. Needless to say, she was feeling sceptical about the whole thing.

"I'm telling you, that's what happened! We ran a DNA scan on the blood, and Raven seems to have pieced it together as well. I just can't figure out _why_ he did this! Can you send any help?" On the screen, Bumblebee nodded and said, "I'll send Speedy and Aqualad to help. Good luck". Robin terminated the transmission, then went to contact Kid Flash. Someone as quick as him could easily cover a lot of ground. The screen flickered to life once more. Apparently, Kid Flash was hiding from something. As Robin watched, Jinx came into view. "Kid Flash, Jinx, we need your help finding Beast Boy." Before Kid Flash could respond, gunfire could be heard. Jinx moved off-screen and pink hexes flew past, no doubt fired with pinpoint accuracy.

Kid Flash turned back to the screen. "We'll be there when we can, Rob. We're a little tied up at the moment. What's wrong, has he been kidnapped?" Robin sighed, rubbing his temples.

"No, he hasn't, but we need to find him anyway. It's complicated, we'll tell you when you get here." Jinx replied "Got it" without turning round, and Kid Flash shut his T-communicator.

Robin turned from the screen. As he did, he noticed a piece of paper lying on top of the sofa cushions. Upon investigation, it seemed to be in some sort of code. _I'll ask Raven about it later _he decided. _Right now, I've got to rendezvous with Titans East._

* * *

7:45 PM, Titans Tower, Raven's Room

Raven walked to the centre of her room. After a long and pointless search, she decided that she would just use a psychic scan to find him instead of playing his stupid game. Levitating, she spoke her famous chant, _Azarath, Metrion, zinthos. _She could feel her senses spreading across the city, sifting through countless minds in her search for a single person: Beast Boy. Her senses had spread to every corner of the city, and she had yet to find Beast Boy.

He could not have gone far in a few hours, so Raven decided to wait for him to reveal himself. She had no idea how he was evading her, but he would slip up eventually – Beast Boy always messes up at some point.

* * *

8:00 PM, Titans Tower, Common Room

Robin had called the remaining Titans together. "Listen guys, we need to find Beast Boy. We need to find out why he did this. I mean, I never thought that Beast Boy of all people would be responsible for the mess we're in. Raven's doing a psychic search; In the morning the other Titans will arrive and we'll sort out the patrol rotas, until then I think we should get some rest. See you all tomorrow." And with that, the three remaining Titans left for their rooms.

* * *

6:00 AM, Titans Tower, Common Room

Robin entered the room with a mug of coffee in hand. In an hour the help from Titans East would arrive, and they would organize rotas. He had no idea when Kid Flash and Jinx would arrive, but he would deal with them when they get here. Robin sighed. He had no idea what could drive Beast Boy to writing on the walls in _blood_. Something must have happened to him at some point; something bad.

Robin's mind snapped to the alert from the day before. He had said it himself; the way Beast Boy fought reminded him of what had happened when the Beast had been unleashed. _Could it be that the beast has come back?_ Robin dismissed the idea quickly. _If Beast Boy had felt the Beast returning, he would have warned us._ Or would he have? Beast Boy obviously has some sort of grievance with the Titans. Maybe he simply didn't trust them enough; Robin HAD threatened to put him in jail last time, after all.

Suddenly, a red and orange blur sped past, spilling Robin's coffee. The blur skidded to a halt, revealing itself as Kid Flash, with Jinx in his arms. "Hey Robby, what's up?" Robin just sighed over the loss of his coffee, before giving the orders. "Go and wake the others. We have to plan. Oh, and by the way, Raven is doing a mental search, so I would prefer it if Jinx brings her." Kid Flash just sighed in disappointment, before they both sped off to the different rooms, one considerably faster than the other. Robin checked the time. Still 45 minutes until the arrival of Titans East.

* * *

6:15 AM, Titans Tower, Raven's Room.

Raven could detect a second presence in her room. When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking into a pair of bubble-gum pink eyes, mere inches away from her own. With a yell of shock, Raven lashed out with her dark aura, sending the intruder flying through the air. They recovered quickly, moving in the air so that they landed on the balls of their feet. Then they spoke. "Jeez, Raven! Is that how you treat all your guests?"

Raven sighed in irritation. "Jinx. No-one goes into my room without permission. Ever. I advise you to leave now before I lose my temper." She glanced at the hex-caster, finding her running around the room, knocking several items over. "What's this for? Oh no, wait! This looks way better! What does it do? Does it-"

"JINX! ENOUGH! What do you want?!" Raven yelled over the noise being made. She saw Jinx's eyes regain an iota of focus. "Oh, right. Robin wanted me to take you to the Common Room. Kid Flash probably already got the others. C'mon, lets go lets go!" Raven rolled her eyes before standing up. Some things would never change, such as the hyperactivity of the pink spellcaster.

Raven and Jinx proceeded to the Common Room, Jinx talking all the way about whatever flitted through her head, while Raven just did her best to ignore Jinx's ramblings. When they arrived they found Robin still drinking coffee, Cyborg cooking several different kinds of meat, Starfire was burping Silkie and Kid Flash was drinking coffee with Robin.

At this last sight, Jinx rolled her eyes. "Just what he needs. More energy." At this point, Robin broke off his conversation and turned to address the Titans. "Titans, we need to start out search for Beast Boy. Raven, you can continue to do a mental search. Cyborg, you patrol the south quarter of the city. Starfire, you can take the east side, and I'll take the north. Jinx can take the west side and Kid Flash can search all four, due to his speed.

"When the help from Titans East gets here I can assign help for those who need it. Speaking of Titans East, Speedy and Aqualad should arrive in around half an hour, but I want you to start the search _now. _I'll contact you when they arrive. For now, Titans GO!" And with that, the assembled Titans ran for the door.

* * *

7:00 Am, Jump City, North Quarter

Robin stood on top of a clothes store, waiting patiently for Speedy and Aqualad to arrive. Sure enough, before long a car pulled up and the pair from Titans East got out. Robin dropped down to greet them. "Hey, Speedy, Aqualad, welcome to Jump. Speedy, I've decided that you will go and help Jinx. She's in the west quarter. Aqualad, I want you looking around the bay. Find out what you can from the... residents... and report back. Titans, move!"

Speedy leapt across the rooftops heading to the West side of the city. Soon, he saw a small pink figure walking briskly along, seemingly searching for something. Dropping down stealthily, he couldn't help himself. He just had to do it. Still moving quietly, Speedy quietly manoeuvred himself behind her, before clapping a hand on her shoulder.

The reaction was predictable.

Jinx span around instantly, hexing the famous archer repeatedly. Eventually, Jinx realised who it was, but not before giving him a hefty dose of bad luck. "Oops!" was all she said before cracking up with laughter. "And what are you doing here?" Stumbling to his feet, Speedy replied through gritted teeth. "I'm supposed to be helping you. Robin's orders." Speedy scowled. "Don't you have some 'contacts' that could help us? I'm sure you know some-" He was cut off by Jinx's gasp. "Oh shit! I totally forgot!" Flipping open her communicator, she immediately called Robin. "Robin come in! I might know where Beast Boy is!" Robin was quick to reply.

"What! How?"

"He called me a few weeks ago. Asked if I knew anywhere to hide in case he pissed off Raven too bad."

"Where?"

"There's an apartment complex not far from the Tower. Raven should be able to see it pretty easily. Room 46."

"I'll contact Raven. Thanks for the Intel. Robin out." And with that, he signed off.

* * *

8:00 AM, Titans Tower, Raven's Room

Raven fell to the floor in shock when her communicator activated. She was glad no-one was around to see her fall, especially...no. She would not think about him right now. Sighing mentally, she picked up her communicator. "What is it Robin?"

"We have a possible location for Beast Boy."

Raven immediately straightened. "Where?"

"There's an apartment complex not far from the Tower. Jinx said you should be able to see it easily."

Raven frowned. "What does Jinx have to do with this?"

"Apparently she was the one who told him about it in the first place. Room 46. Get there _now._ Robin out." He disconnected his communicator. Sighing, Raven teleported herself to the roof.

Walking to the edge, she could see what Jinx had meant. There was an apartment complex on the opposite shore; it's vast size towered above the surrounding buildings. Raven wasted no time as she teleported to the foot of the building, entering the double doors. Heading up the stairs, she began counting doors._ 43...44...45...46!_ Promptly turning the handle, Raven discovered that Beast Boy was not so stupid as to ignore the locks. Fortunately for Raven, she could just phase through the doorway.

On the other side, the room was empty. It looked as though no-one had ever lived there, the only change being a small white envelope on the bed, labelled 'Raven'. Opening it, she read:

_Raven,_

_I'm disappointed. I could have sworn I told you to find the notes. But here you are busting down doors, hoping that you'll find me. Better luck next time!_

_Love,_

_Beast Boy_

Raven simply stood, looking at the signature. Why had he signed it that way? Did it mean something? And why did it make her breath catch as if she was choking on Starfire's cooking? Dismissing it, she decided to look into it later. Turning to the doorway, she came face-to-face with Robin. "Anything?"

"Just a note." She said, handing it to him. Reading it through, Robin frowned.

"What's this about the notes?"

Raven produced the first note from her cloak. "Apparently if I find the second one they will tell me where he is."

Strangely, Robin's eyes lit up. He produced a piece of paper from one of the spare compartments in his utility belt. "I meant to ask you about this. Is this what you're looking for?" Opening the note, Raven's eyes widened in excitement. Placing the first note over the top of the second, the letters of the second were visible in the gaps of the first. The note now read:

**GO TO THE ROOF**

The notes obviously meant the roof of Titans Tower. Raven immediately teleported to her destination. Looking around, Raven could not see anything out of the ordinary. Thinking it was just another wild goose chase, she turned to leave, but she stopped as she saw the note pinned to the door. This one read simply,

**GO TO MY ROOM**

Impossible! How could he have been in there this entire time? And besides, hadn't they already checked there? He must have come in after they had all left on patrol. Raven hurried down the stairs, being unable to focus enough to teleport. She quickly punched in the override code to Beast Boy's room, but when the door opened, the room was empty. Looking around, she saw a blood-red arrow pointing to the light switch. Wait – Light switch?! All the lights in the tower were automated.

Raven hit the switch.

What she saw tore her still-beating heart from her chest.

* * *

**Sorry to leave it on a cliff-hanger again, but I felt the chapter was getting a little too long. The next chapter will be very, VERY dark. I was going to include most of what's in the next chapter in this one, but I got carried away. AGAIN! I can tell someone is going to hunt me down and shoot me for it. Be warned – I sleep with a sharp knife next to my bed! And please don't kill me, but it might take a while for the next chapter to go up.**

** ~Blodh Skolir**


	8. Chapter 8

**As I think I said before, I'm afraid updates will be coming a lot slower than before. Sorry for that, but I can't keep up with my previous pace any more. I will try to get one chapter up per week, but I might not be able to even accomplish that. I will do my best, though!**

**REVIEWER THANKS**

**Morgan The Faerie Queen**

**Cuervos Bestia**

**DarkRapture**

**Don't give up on me yet, people! I'm still kicking!**

**~Blodh Skolir**

* * *

10:00 AM, Titan's Tower, Beast Boy's Room

The switch had triggered a false wall segment to move aside; it must have been one of Cyborg's little hidey-holes he had made around the tower in case something happened. The new space, however, wasn't empty. Not in the slightest. Right in the middle of the space there was a metal chair. This chair had arm and leg restraints, which were engraved with Azarathian wards. ?These must be the reason Raven was unable to find Beast Boy. For in the chair, shackles and all, was the changeling. Or rather, what was left of him.

Beast Boy's face had been drained of nearly all of it's colour. The leftover skin was an incredibly light shade of green due to lack of blood. The reason Beast Boy was missing this blood was painfully obvious. He had long, deep gashes across both wrists, and another in his throat. His skin was coated in dried blood, making him appear a brown colour rather than his usual green. Everywhere she looked was coated in blood; it ran in rivulets down the side of the chair before pooling on the cold, metal floor before drying and forming a small plateau upon which the chair rested.

The most terrifying thing about it was his face. It was twisted into a maniacal grin, showing off his fangs. However, the eyes told a different story. There was fear rooted deep in the emerald orbs. He had obviously been terrified; but why? Maybe this wasn't Beast Boy's choice, maybe he was forced to. The grin suggested mind control. The first name that came to mind was Brother Blood, but he had been in jail for months, so it couldn't have been him.

Suppressing her emotions, Raven glanced at Beast Boy's chest. There was a note pinned into it; no doubt some form of gloat over his death. Unfolding the bloodstained sheet of paper, she read;

_You may be wondering why this happened. I would be overjoyed to have explained it to you, but due to the nature of my condition, I can't. So I left this letter for you, Raven. Why you? The answer is simple. I hate you._

_I hate you for the insults,_

_I hate you for the abuse,_

_For the snide remarks,_

_For the superiority,_

_The uncaring attitude._

_The way you refuse to acknowledge me,_

_The way that whenever I'm happy, you find a way to bring me down._

_The way you have slowly destroyed my self regard._

_The way you forced me to do this._

_The way I can't stop loving you._

_Beast Boy._

Raven fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. How could she not have noticed that she had been effectively destroying him? How could she have failed to notice how much emotional pain he was in? She was an _empath,_ for crying out loud! She was supposed to be able to detect these things! She was supposed to know what people were feeling and why. She should have known that he was in love with her, and she should have been able to prevent this from happening!

She wept silently. _I'm a failure,_ she though brokenly. _All my life I have done nothing but cause trouble. I wish I had never been born! I had promised myself I would be nothing like my father. Well, I succeeded. I am far worse than my father – nothing can redeem me now._ Lights throughout the tower were detonating randomly. Raven staggered to her feet and moved to the deceased changeling. She reached out to the changeling and, with two fingers, closed his eyes for him.

Flipping open her communicator, she contacted Robin. Not bothering to hide her tears, she simply stated "I've found him. Come back to the tower. Don't bring Star." before closing her communicator once more. Raven raised her hands and a familiar glow enshrouded them as she called upon her healing magic. It was futile, she knew that, but for some reason she could not bear to see Beast Boy looking like this.

After re-sealing the wounds, she used her powers to open his shackles and teleported him to the nearest bathroom, where she proceeded to clean him of his blood. She then teleported over to the infirmary, Beast Boy in her arms, where she lay him in a cot and pulled it's blanket over him. He looked so peaceful now, unlike earlier. Feeling the vibrations of the R-cycle arriving through the floor, she quickly moved down to the garage.

She found Robin while he was still dismounting his motorbike. "I put him in the infirmary. It seemed like the best place, under the circumstances." She fought to retain her typical monotonous tone of voice. Robin looked puzzled. "What circumstances? Is he hurt?" Then, to Robin's complete horror, Raven broke down in tears. "He's dead! DEAD! And its MY FAULT!" With that, she began sobbing relentlessly, unable to form a coherent sentence, while Robin stood stunned.

Recovering slightly, she surrounded them both in her black energy before transporting them both to Beast Boy's bed. Gathering her thoughts, she said "I bathed and healed him. I couldn't stand to see him covered in blood". Her voice cracked on the last word, and she began crying again, but this time silently. By now Robin had recovered, and being the detective he was raised to be, he asked; "Where was he, and how did he die?"

He tried to say it softly, but his bluntness overrode him and took control. Raven scowled at him before she replied. "He was in his room, behind a false wall. He was... he was chained to a chair... throat and wrists cut." She stumbled on. "I found a note... addressed to me... it explained everything. He... He killed himself!" And with that, she ran from the infirmary, unable to retain enough control to teleport.

* * *

11:30 AM, Titans Tower, Raven's room

Raven stumbled into her room blindly, tears staining her vision. Opening her drawers, she found her meditation mirror. Soon, she was stumbling across a familiar rocky path towards Knowledge's realm. As she went, she mentally summoned all the different sides of herself. They appeared instantly, but they had undergone some drastic changes.

Happy was stumbling, needing support to stay upright, almost as if she were ill. She did not act with her usual exuberance. Timid appeared in an explosion of power, quite unlike the quiet entrances she had always made before. Knowledge and Wisdom appeared unchanged. Brave seemed subdued, but no less powerful. Rude was in a similar state. A flash of purple caught Raven's eye. Turning, she saw Love on the floor, gasping for breath. There was only one side of Raven left unaccounted for.

There was a violent explosion of red. No-one was affected by this except Raven, who was sent soaring through the air as Anger's magic slammed into her. When she regained her feet, she saw Anger being restrained by Knowledge and Wisdom, Brave helping reluctantly. The real Raven addressed Knowledge. "What has happened here? And what happened to her?" She gestured to Love.

Knowledge's reply was laced with scepticism. "Do you really not know? Think! What happened that redistributed the power of your emotions? Beast Boy's death! And until you learn to accept that he is gone, your emotions will constantly be getting the better of you, causing your powers to run rampant". Knowledge cocked her head. "You should get back. The others are calling you; it seems important."

Raven immediately left her mind scape and reappeared in her room. With a wave of her hand, she opened the door, revealing Cyborg and Robin. They looked... excited. Once they saw her, they immediately launched into an explanation. "We were down in the infirmary checking up on BB when my scanners picked up somethin'. For a dead person, Beast Boy seems to have an awfully high level of brain activity. It's almost as if everything died except for his brain." Raven brightened with hope. "Does that mean we can revive him?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Already tried. Didn't work. But its strange. His brain has gone without oxygen for hours; yet it's still alive. That's physically impossible." Raven's eyes dimmed, but she didn't give up hope. "I'm going to see him. If what you say is true, then I should be able to read his mind. Maybe I can find some answers".

Robin nodded. "Do it". He sighed. "Look. I know this hurts but I'm going to have to look for someone to fill in for Beast Boy. The sooner we start, the less we have to worry about supervillain attacks". Raven looked stricken, but she acknowledged that his points made sense. She turned and immediately transported herself to the infirmary, directly next to Beast Boy. She immediately probed into his conscience, but was repelled by an unseen barrier.

Raven frowned; the barrier had not been death, she had felt that particular wall many times back on Azarath. Instead, it seemed... primal. It appeared to be the mental equivalent to porcupines curling up into a ball to protect themselves.

Porcupines had spines. And so did Beast Boy.

Raven shrieked in agony as one of the metaphorical spikes plunged itself into her consciousness. It appeared to be a delayed reaction; not part of the shield but a counter-attack of sorts, bludgeoning past her guard and deep into the recesses of her mind, plundering through her thoughts and memories mercilessly.

Gradually, the pain lessened, and Raven was able to regain control of her mind. It seemed like everything was back to normal, but something seemed... out of place. She couldn't shake the feeling that the attack had some sort of prolonged effect, but there was no point worrying about it until the symptoms showed themselves. She would deal with it then.

* * *

1:00 PM, Titans Tower, Beast Boy's Mind

A lone figure stood in the recesses of what appeared to be a jungle. He was in the middle of a clearing. The ground on which he stood was pitch black, and the darkness was swiftly coating more and more ground. The figure's face was a dark green colour, darker than Beast Boy's normal light green shade.

Not far from the figure was a cage made out of thick vines. The gaps between vines were almost indistinguishable, but from what you could see, there was another green figure collapsed on the floor of the cage. He was not moving.

Back outside the cage, the first figure turned, looked into the cage, and smiled.

Something about the smile was off. Perhaps it was the dark stains on the tips of the fangs that were visible. Or perhaps it was the blood red eyes above it that gleamed with success.

"Final Phase – complete."

* * *

**I have several things to apologise for this time. Despite it being a whole week since last updated, this chapter is still really short, and for that I apologise. I also apologise for the now lengthened time between updates, and I apologise in advance for any times I don't hit the deadline. R&R, please. Don't be afraid to contribute ideas, I would be glad to hear them. And sorry about all the cliffhangers, DarkRapture – please don't kill me just yet. I haven't even been able to survive the zombie apocalypse yet.**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	9. Chapter 9

**OK, so... chapter 9. I'm not sure where this chapter is headed, as I only really have a vague idea of where the story will end, not how it gets there. So I'm just going to wing it and hope it all makes sense.**

**REVIEWER THANKS**

**Wolvmbm**

**DarkRapture (Thanks for the consistency. That goes out to all who keep reviewing!)**

**~Blodh Skolir**

* * *

2:30 PM, Titan's Tower, Medical Bay

Raven looked down upon the limp form of Beast Boy. She still hadn't managed to figure out what the _barrier_ was. With a whoosh, the doors opened and Cyborg stepped in. A previous, unanswered question popped into Raven's mind at the sight – perhaps Cyborg would know.

"Cyborg, if all the blood on the walls was... Beast Boy's..." She struggled to say his name aloud. "How... How did he not die of blood loss? There was gallons of blood on the walls!" Cyborg sighed. "Haven't you ever wondered what happens when he transforms? When he shifts, he changes size, too. All the extra mass had to come from somewhere, so his body simply creates new cells incredibly quickly. If he didn't he would die of blood loss every time he changed into something bigger than him."

"So... is that what has happened now? Did his powers somehow keep him alive?"

"Somehow, yes, but he is still completely empty of blood; I just don't know how his brain is still alive."

"Wait! B-Beast Boy can morph into any living creature, right? What if he can... I don't know, morph into a plant or something? Couldn't he survive via photosynthesis?"

Cyborg's eyes widened. "Maybe that's why his skin is green. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green; it makes sense that it would do the same to him."

"Hold on..." Raven's eyes dimmed. "I thought plants needed water and minerals to survive, not just light."

Cyborg was hopping t from foot to foot with excitement. He pointed down, to where Beast Boy's hand had made contact with the metal of his bed. He hadn't noticed before, but his fingers had settled into slight grooves. "He must be getting stuff like iron from the bed frame! He'll be malnourished when he recovers, but apart from that, he should be fine! That is..."

Cyborg lost his excitement. "If he recovers. He must have shut down all unnecessary functions to preserve his brain. That means he still can't repair himself. What we need is to get him somewhere that he can get everything he needs, vitamins, minerals, light, water... the whole lot."

Before he had finished speaking, Raven had teleported the entire bed to outside the tower, where there was all of the items listed.

She carefully lifted him from the bed. She knew that she would only get one chance, as when she separated his grip from the bed he would lose his source of minerals. She set him down on the floor and stepped back, knowing that not much would actually happen for a while. However, moments later, Beast boy's body seemed to sink into the soil.

"Beast Boy!" Raven screamed, already on her knees digging. By then, Cyborg had arrived. "What happened?"

I put Beast Boy on the ground and... and he just sank into it and vanished! I can't find him anywhere!" Raven was hysterical now, her emotions once more running rampant. With a deafening crack, a jagged bolt of dark energy impacted the Tower.

Nothing happened for a moment, but then there was an enormous groaning noise as the top of the 'T' split, and one branch of it slowly fell from it's place. It impacted with the floor not far away. Cyborg's cybernetic eye could just make out the figure of Robin, standing at the edge of the now 'r' shaped tower, in a pair of yellow boxers and wearing a shower cap. Despite what had just happened, Cyborg couldn't resist taking a photo for blackmail later.

Turning back around, he put a large hand on the shaking frame of Raven. "Raven, calm down. If he's gone, that just means he must be still alive somewhere. I'm sure he'll find his way back eventually".

* * *

3:30 PM, Titans Tower, Common Room

Robin tapped on the keyboard of the supercomputer. He had just been informed as to what happened, and now he was sending notices to the authorities. If anyone saw Beast Boy, Robin would know shortly after. He gave a grim smile. There were some perks about being a superhero that he enjoyed. He glanced over into the corner where Raven sat, seeing her trying to explain what had happened to Starfire. She wasn't having much success, but Cyborg quickly fixed the situation.

Robin sent a message to Titans East, informing them of the situation, before deciding to call Kid Flash. He and Jinx had decided to stay in Jump for a 'vacation', but so far they had shown no wish to leave. Kid Flash had agreed that he and Jinx would help out almost as soon as Robin had finished explaining, which led to a flurry of pink energy cast by the hex-caster. It was obvious that she had no say whatsoever when Kid Flash volunteered them both. Robin terminated the call, turning to attend to other matters of importance.

* * *

5:00 PM, Jump City Rooftops

Beast Boy crouched on the top of a tall office building. His sharp, red eyes soon picked up the pink flashed emerging from a hotel on the other side of Jump, and he smirked. Turning, he saw the reason that he was on the roof of such a large building. "Beast Boy, when will you ever learn that separating is a very bad idea when I'm around?"

"I'm not here on behalf of the Titans. I need your help for a...personal...matter."

A single eye narrowed.

"I'm listening."

* * *

5:30 PM, Titans Tower, Common Room

Within the Tower, things had regained a semblance of normality, albeit without the 'green bean' telling what he calls 'jokes'.

Cyborg was facing off against Robin on the GameStation. Cyborg appeared to be winning. Starfire was cooking a Pudding of Sorrow, whilst Raven was absent, having headed to the roof to meditate. Then, the wailing of the alarm sounded, shattering the moment. Raven phased through the roof, appearing in the centre of the room. Cyborg was brining up details of the apparent crisis, while Starfire simply hung in the air, waiting for the news.

Raven felt Robin's mood change when he glanced at the screen, giving Raven an involuntary warning. "It's Slade. Seems like he's just destroying random buildings, so I doubt it heralds anything major. Titans, GO!" He turned, and saw that everyone else had already left. Smirking slightly, he ran down to the garage and soon was speeding into the heart of the city.

Slade's robots were shooting at anything that moved. The team regrouped on a rooftop and assessed the situation. "Around sixty. This seems too easy. Everyone, be on guard for a trap. Titans, GO!" And with that, the four descended from the rooftop and had to take cover immediately, as they were now the only ones moving. The laser blasts soon shredded their cover, so Raven summoned a shield of dark energy to take the brunt of the lasers.

The beams passed straight through.

Starfire was struck instantly, falling to the floor with a single high pitched "eep!". The blasts simply ricocheted off of Cyborg's titanium alloy, and he stood in front of Raven who was now defenceless. Robin had some cover, his reinforced cape covering him and Starfire.

Cyborg charged up his Sonic Cannon, as he was the only one who could attack without fear. He quickly swept away a dozen robots.

Observing from the rooftops, Slade sent an electronic message to the remainder of the force. "Switch to ammo type B." The whine of charging lasers filled the air. Slade smirked. "Good."

Back on the ground, Robin had left his cape covering Starfire, who seemed to be unconscious. He stood next to Cyborg, throwing his arsenal of ranged weaponry at the approaching robots. A high-pitched whine filled the air. "Aw, what now?" Cyborg seemed bored.

Replacing the orange-yellow lasers that were fired before was a barrage of electric-blue beams. Electric being the key word. The first pulse that hit Cyborg sent waves of electricity coursing over him, shutting him down as effectively as an EMP. Another hit Raven, who was attempting to teleport the group away. She too sprawled across the floor, as motionless as Starfire.

The shooting stopped. Robin was confused. Why had they stopped? Unless... turning swiftly, he caught the blow from Slade's Bo Staff on his own. "As swift as ever, Robin. But not swift enough." Slade let loose a barrage of blows that sent the masked hero further backwards along the road. Robin did not notice he had reached the edge of the robot army until strong metallic arms caught his limps and held him still. An impact to his skull, and he was still.

Slade smiled. "Take them to the meeting point."

* * *

7:00 PM, Jump City, The Meeting Point.

Cyborg was the first to regain consciousness. After running a systems diagnostic, he tried to move. He couldn't. Looking at himself, he discovered his arms and legs had been removed, and was bolted to the wall. "Why do they always _do _that?"

"Perhaps because it's the easiest way to stop you from moving." Cyborg looked to his left to find Raven also bound to the wall. Her metal bindings had shapes carved over them. He assumed they were to nullify her powers.

"Correct." She answered before he even asked the question. They turned their head when someone groaned. Instead of being bound to the wall like everyone else, Robin was tied to the roof with a long piece of rope, looking vaguely like a mummy. Cyborg couldn't help but laugh. He tried to remotely activate his arms so that he could take a photo, but he discovered they were bolted to a separate wall across the room.

His laughing woke Starfire, who was chained to the floor with cuffs that enveloped her fists,almost exactly like the ones she wore when she first came to Earth. A voice sounded from somewhere nearby. "Ah, you're awake." Slade dropped down from a support beam running across the ceiling. He glanced at Robin and chuckled briefly, before poking the helpless hero, sending him slowly spinning.

"What do you want, Slade?" Robin attempted to free himself from his bindings, and quickly grew frustrated. Slade just smirked, and replied: "It's not what I want, it's what my _employer_ wants." Slade laughed again when Robin's eyes widened in shock. "I must say, that he of all people would come to me was very surprising, considering." He turned away. "They're all here."

Robin was beyond angry now. "Considering WHAT?! WHO IS YOUR EMPLOYER?!?"

"Robin, calm down." Cyborg said calmly. "Whoever it is, I got a feeling we're gonna meet him real soon."

"You are correct." said a familiar voice.

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger again (please don't kill me DarkRapture – if you do, you'll never know how it ends). I really am sorry, I just couldn't resist. Invisible prizes to whoever manage to guess who the 'employer' is. I have no doubt that you all know already, but still. I mean, it _is_ pretty obvious (no offence to whoever can't figure it out).**

**Until next time,**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, sorry this is up so late. Work experience week has been hell. My heart goes out to any who spend the majority of their job filing. I've never done anything so tedious. Anyway, apologies again. Now – ON WITH THE STORY!**

**P.S. Do I have to put a disclaimer on every chapter? Or is the one on the first enough?**

**~Blodh Skolir**

* * *

7:30 PM, Jump City, The Meeting Point

The Titans looked to see who the source of the voice was. His form was enshrouded in dark, unfortunately, meaning they had no means of knowing who it was. Slade chuckled at their confusion before turning to the figure. "Now, about my payment..."

"Go ahead."

Slade smiled again when he turned around – although his mask had no face, his emotional state was obvious. Hestrolled casually towards Robin, taking something from his belt. A knife. With one swift slice, he cut Robin's bindings. The figure in the background stepped forward. "I told you that you could kill him; not set him free. What happens if you lose?"

Slade laughed again. "I will not." He swiftly moved to attack Robin; the teenager was still recovering from his fall, so Slade landed the attacks easily. Robin was knocked back, finally coming to his senses. He stood, wobbling slightly, but nevertheless took a battle stance. The two combatants came together in a whirlwind of limbs, moving almost too quick to see. They matched each other blow for blow, until Slade managed to break through Robin's defence, sending him flying to land I front of the others.

Robin struggled to his feet, but a swift kick from Slade put him in his place again. Robin was now unable to stand, at Slade's mercy. Slade chuckled again, raising his fist to put an end to the Boy Blunder. Robin closed his eyes tightly, accepting his fate.

But the blow never came. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked up at Slade. A look of surprise was fixed upon Slade's face, which was looking down to his chest, where there was a bloody arm protruding. A bloody, green arm. The fist withdrew, leaving Slade free to fall to the floor, dead. As the Titans looked around, however, the only person in sight was the mysterious employer, who was still standing in the same place.

Raven was stunned by what happened. "Where did he..." the cloaked figure interrupted.

"Go? Why Raven, he never left in the first place." the figure discarded his coverings, revealing the green teen, covered in Slade's blood. "Let this be a warning to you. Next time we meet, your lives are forfeit." With that, he turned to leave.

"Why? Why not just kill us now, while we are unable to fight back?" Robin, foolish to the last. Beast Boy turned around. "There is no point in fighting an incapacitated enemy, right Robin?" Beast Boy kicked Robin to the floor, laughing as Robin coughed up blood from the force of the blow. "However, I do enjoy kicking them when they're down." With that, Beast Boy once more planted his foot in Robin's chest.

Raven spoke. "Why? Why are you doing this, what the hell is wrong with you?!" the hero now turned villain turned to her. "The only thing wrong with me is you." He grabbed Raven's chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. The cold, blood red eyes. Raven was speechless, having learned just what was wrong. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, though, she felt a blunt object strike her head, and she quickly faded from consciousness.

Beast Boy grinned and turned to the others. "Once your leader recovers, I suggest you run. Fast. A single mistake will sign all your death certificates". He turned to leave once more. Upon reaching the door, however, Beast Boy found it to be locked. "What the...?" Looking closely, he noticed a faint pink aura around the handle. He couldn't help but chuckle before diving backwards to avoid the orange and yellow streak that was Kid Flash.

Beast Boy had to give them credit; they had almost had him. However, now that the element of surprise was lost there was no way he could lose. As Kid Flash charged once again, he neatly sidestepped and stuck his foot out, sending the other teen sprawling. He quickly knocked him unconscious with a swift kick to the head. Now, he just had to find Jinx. Of course, he was proven wrong when a wall shattered in pink energy, a furious hex-caster standing in the recently excavated doorway.

She fired wave after wave of her neon pink energy at Beast boy, but not a single shot hit him. He was just too quick. Before Jinx knew it, he was behind her and holding her in a choke hold. Chuckling evilly, he said; "I shall repeat my warning. Next time I see you, you are all dead." And with that, he released the confused spellcaster, who promptly fell to her knees gasping for air. When she turned around again, Beast Boy had gone. Sighing, Jinx got up to release the others.

Beast Boy was standing on top of an adjacent building. He watched as the Titans limped back to their now destroyed Tower, barely able to hold back a laugh. He turned around then. He had much to do, and very little time to do it. His first stop would be the local Metahuman imprisonment facility. He had heard interesting things about a certain new villain. Of course, he wouldn't simply neglect the others. No, he would use them as well, but merely as fodder.

It was a simple matter to circumnavigate the "best security system Jump had to offer", and in short order he had everything set up. Now, all he had to do is wait. However, he remembered a little trap he had placed earlier, and decided to see what it would achieve. _**Wake, my pet, and strike them down. **_He felt the connection dissipate, and knew his plan was working. He would have results soon. What they were, was yet to be determined.

* * *

9:00 PM, What's Left Of Titans Tower, Infirmary

As Raven awoke, she saw the concerned faces of her two unharmed team mates hovering over her. As soon as Starfire saw she was awake, she enveloped the poor sorceress in an excessively powerful hug. Raven's vision began to waver. As soon as Cyborg noticed, he pulled the Tameranian princess off of Raven. As soon as her vision returned to normal she asked, "How's Robin?" Cyborg sighed, a bad sign.

"He has several fractured bones, minor internal bleeding and a bad concussion. He'll be out for a while." Raven just nodded before staggering over to the Boy Wonder's bedside. Placing her palms on his chest, she immediately healed the worst of his injuries. It would take no less than a day to recover now. Unfortunately, the same thing went for her. She toppled to the floor, once again unconscious, because she had used up her energy reserves.

Cyborg sighed, catching the limp form of Raven. He had guessed something like this would happen. She still hadn't fully recovered from her head injury. Beast Boy had hit her hard; her skull had been fractured. Although, he recalled, she had gasped sharply when she looked at Beast Boy's face. Perhaps there was something he was missing? After all, this had all happened rather suddenly. He sighed. He would have to wait until she woke up.

* * *

9:30 PM, Raven's Mind.

Raven was confused. Why was she here? It would be best to ask Knowledge, as it was probably her who had called. If it wasn't, then she would probably know why anyway. As she passed through the first barrier, she immediately noticed something was wrong. The normally copious flowers of Happy's domain were wilting, the air tasted stale instead of vibrant, and the sky was an ominous grey.

Narrowing her eyes, she spotted two figures in the distance. They appeared to be fighting. As she watched, one of them was struck down. The other, satisfied, stalked off towards the Forbidden Door. Raven hurried to the prone figure. Her breath caught as she identified the owner of the pink cloak. Happy. Quickly checking Happy's vitals, she was relieved to find she was only unconscious. She hurried towards the Door, aiming to catch whoever did this.

On the other side of the door, she found herself in Timid's maze once more. She quickly navigated her way through, trying to find Timid before the figure found her. Her heart sank as she heard Timid scream. She rushed to the source, to find Timid fleeing from the same figure from before. Raven frowned; it was not one of her emotions, so how did it get in her mind? Oh well. Eliminate first, ask questions later.

She hurried after the two, sometimes catching sight of the dark figure. Eventually, they came to a dead end that was decorated by one of the horrific moving statues found in the maze. However, this one had been split into dozens of pieces, and Timid was dangling in the air, help up by her throat. Raven tackled the figure, and Timid sprawled on the ground, wheezing for breath. As Raven was checking up on Timid, the intruder decided to make a break for it. He barrelled past Raven and through the walls of the maze. The walls were much thinner now, reflecting the state of the occupant.

Raven wasted no time in pursuing the figure, emerging in Brave's domain. The room was what looked like a Japanese dojo, the walls lined with weapons. In the centre of the room, a spectacular duel was taking place. Brave was fighting the strange figure from before, and for the moment it appeared she was winning. With Raven here, this should be an easy fight.

Unfortunately, the figure sensed her approach, and grabbed her by the forearm. With a colossal show of strength, he sent her soaring through the air into Brave, knocking them both to the ground. Raven stood up, wincing. "Sorry. If I hadn't interfered you would have won." Brave shook her head. "I was getting exhausted anyway. I wouldn't have been able to keep up much longer." They both headed through the Forbidden Door. They were going to stop whatever this was, and they were going to do it as soon as possible.

They progressed through several domains, finding their shaken occupants and recruiting them. Happy had also appeared, a hysterical Timid in tow. Raven was glad she had regained consciousness.

As they passed one domain, though, the room was curiously empty. There were no signs of a struggle, either, so the occupant must have been elsewhere. The collection of Ravens continued through the Door. The entourage couldn't help but feel amused; they must look like some sort of rainbow comprised of people.

On the other side of the Door, they were once more standing on a narrow path made of rock, leading up to the final Door. The door out of Raven's mind. If the figure managed to pass through, then he would be in Titans Tower, and wreak untold havoc. They could not afford to let this happen. As they walked, however, they quickly noticed two figures standing by the door. One appeared to just be standing calmly in front of the door, her deep purple cloak whipping around her. That was strange in itself, because there was no wind.

The other figure appeared to be trying to strike her, however for some unknown reason he was never able to. His heavy blows stopped just millimetres away from contact. Raven and the others rushed forwards. "What the FUCK is Love playing at?!?" screamed Raven. "Not long ago, she was to weak to even STAND, and now she's trying to kill it by herself?!" It just didn't make sense. If she was so weak before, it was a miracle that she was even standing, let alone somehow stopping all his attacks.

The different Raven's fanned out, planning to surround the enraged figure. As it saw them approach, however, it immediately flipped through the air, landing behind the bulk of the group. As it landed, it immediately swept their legs out from underneath them, leaving the majority of them sprawled across the floor. Using this to it's advantage, it used the pile as a sort of springboard, leaping clear over the rest of them and Love, straight towards the Door.

Just as the figure reached the swirling vortex that lead to the outside of Raven's mind, the vortex disappeared completely. The figure ended up flying straight through the now obsolete arch, almost sliding off the edge of the platform. Looking around, it saw Love smirking, her hand on the side of the arch. Swirling masses of energy were travelling through her arm. Before it regained it's balance, Brave executed a perfect flying kick, sending it soaring through the air and into the blackness below.

* * *

**Finally, I got it finished! I cannot even start to explain how relieved I am at getting this done. Extra thanks to DarkRapture, who helped me overcome the writer's block that hit me like a Grav-Hammer (HALO reference) halfway through this chapter. I'm not sure how many more chapters this story will have since we are nearing the ending, but I am aiming for 12. Why 12? SIMPLE! It's my favourite number, ever since I saw the South Park movie with the retards in the classroom trying to answer 'What is 5 times 2?' Others who have** **seen this movie will know why. I hope. I'm not sure when the next update will be, so please just sit tight until then.**

**~Blodh Skolir**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! Been a while, hasn't it? Yeah, sorry about that. The next instalment has arrived, hopefully in time to stop anyone doing something crazy like sneaking into my room, taking one of my knives and running me through with it until I agree to immediately type the next chapter. Reviewer thanks go to, of course, DarkRapture, and anyone else who might update after. Now then; on with the story!**

**~Blodh Skolir**

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10:00 PM, Raven's Mind

Satisfied that the incursion had been taken care of, Raven turned to the several clones that controlled her mental stability. Addressing them all, she said; "Well, at least that's taken care of. Although, I was kind of hoping we could find out what it was." At this, Love smirked. Raven saw this and made a mental note to talk to Love later. About that, and the sudden increase in her powers.

At this point, Knowledge interrupted. "Something about it's behaviour in the fight seemed familiar. I'm going to go look through the records, see what I can find." With that, both she and Wisdom disappeared. Following their lead, Raven proceeded through the now reactivated archway to the outside world.

Elsewhere, on one of the many floating rocks that litter Nevermore, the dark figure stood silently, smiling as they all dispersed. It looks like he would have to take them out one by one. He raised his head, showing his blood red eyes. Smiling, he leapt across to another floating platform. _Start with the strongest, _he thought. _That way, if they hunt me down, the weaklings will be all that is left, and easily overwhelmed._

* * *

10:00 PM, Titans Tower, Infirmary

Raven woke with a start. Cyborg, who was observing her monitors, turned around. "So, you're awake. Guess you overdid it a bit, huh?" Raven shook her head; not in denial, just to ease the nausea she was feeling. "I feel like Starfire just gave me one of her hugs." Her eyes widened. "Crap." Just then, the infirmary doors started opening, but an orange and purple blur shot straight through them, sending pieces of shrapnel flying. "RAVEN! YOU ARE AWAKE!" Of course, Starfire followed this with one of her trademark hugs.

After around five minutes spent trying to pry Starfire off of the suffocating Raven, things finally settled down. The congregation moved to the living room, where they waited for Robin. He soon limped into the room, holding a mug of coffee. He met Raven's eyes and smiled. "Thanks for healing me. The sooner we get this over with the better; for everyone." Raven nodded.

Robin took a sip from his coffee before speaking. "We need to discuss what happened earlier. Now that Slade is dead, things should be a little easier in the future." Despite his calm words, Raven could sense his irritation. Robin had hoped that he would be the one to finish off Slade, but he was beaten to it by Beast Boy. The same Beast Boy that, a week earlier, had been not far from useless.

"We need to accept that Beast Boy is, in fact, the enemy. The sooner we do that, the easier it will be for all of us." He sighed. "We also need to figure out the cause of his sudden boost in speed and strength. Maybe we can find a way to nullify it so we can take him down faster." Raven winced at his choice of words, but nodded. She still didn't like considering him a threat; some part of her rebelled against the idea.

Cyborg spoke up. "What if there isn't any sort of abnormality? Maybe he was always like this. Maybe he just didn't want to attract too much attention." Robin seemed intrigued by this.

"You mean he was holding back on us?" Cyborg nodded. "If that's the case, then we have to think about how long he was planning this."

Raven was lost in thought. Thinking, of course, about Beast Boy. _Those eyes... what do they mean? Maybe he's being controlled. But who could it be? Maybe it was Mad Mod...no, Mod's devices don't change eye colour. Brother Blood? Possibly. _Raven was jerked back to reality when she heard her name. "What?" she said, startled.

Robin sighed. "I repeat: What do you think could be the cause for Beast Boy's behaviour?" Raven's eyes widened before she sighed in defeat. "Look, this is only a theory. But when we were captives, I saw Beast Boy's face. More importantly, his eyes." Everyone was confused as to how it was relevant. Seeing their looks, she elaborated. "His eyes were red. Not bloodshot; the irises were crimson. I think we should consider mind control."

Robin looked thoughtful. "It's a possibility, but some things just don't add up. If he was being controlled, then why did he let us go? Surely if someone was controlling him, they would have taken the opportunity to wipe us out. Something isn't right." There was a general murmur of agreement. "But if he is being controlled, we should find out who the controller is. That means either a blind search, or..." Robin trailed off, reluctant to voice their other option. Raven, however, felt no such inhibitions. "Or I read his mind."

After that, the Titans agreed to call it a night.

* * *

11:00 PM, Raven's Mind

The dark figure moved quickly through the rooms he had thoroughly memorised. When he entered Love's domain, he had quickly discovered it was empty. He wanted blood, so he simply wandered through the mindscape, searching for someone to satiate his thirst. Not paying attention to his surroundings, he soon found himself in one of the worst places to be; Rage's domain. _Oh well, I have to start somewhere._

Turning, he saw the red cloaked Raven behind him. He was impressed; it was difficult to get the drop on him. They locked gazes, neither speaking a word. Then, without warning, both leapt towards the other with inhuman speed. A colossal explosion, then silence. Followed by laughter. The figure hadn't enjoyed something so much in a long time. Pity it was so short, though. Maybe the next fight would be better.

* * *

8:00 AM, Titans Tower, Raven's Room

Raven woke, feeling better than she had in a long time, which was surprising considering the current situation. She dressed and strode down the corridor to the kitchen, to make her traditional morning cup of tea. It took substantially less time than usual, since she was using her powers. She didn't even realise that she had until she was sipping at it slowly, walking up to the common room.

As she rounded the corner, however, she slammed head first into Cyborg, resulting in her spilling the fresh tea down the front of her leotard. Automatically, Cyborg flinched, expecting a severe beating. But then something happened that shook the foundation of his entire existence. Raven, Queen of Cold, had laughed. She just couldn't help it; his expression was priceless. Even more so when he heard her laugh.

She used her powers to rid herself of the tea that coated her, and then used them to levitate the spillage back into the kitchen and into the sink, soon followed by her mug as she drained what remained of her tea. Once done, she moved round a stupefied Cyborg and headed into the common room. The other Titans greeted her half-heartedly. Then, their heads whipped around comically to stare at her.

"Raven... What happened to your clothes?" Robin asked. Raven looked down, and gasped. This morning she hadn't even noticed. Her leotard and cloak were now a pure white colour. Meaning, somehow, she had gained control of her powers. While sleeping. How was that possible? She always had trouble with them; what had changed?

What indeed. Following a sudden, urgent call, Raven fled into her own mind, leaving her team to worry about her suddenly unconscious body.

* * *

Raven's Mind

Raven arrived to find each aspect of her personality gathered in a circle, guarding whatever was in the centre from view. Spotting her, Knowledge crossed over to her, an unusually solemn look on her face. "Raven. Rage is dead."

* * *

8:30 AM, Jump City, Waterfront

Beast Boy grinned at the reported success of his minion. Although, it would probably have been more efficient to take out one of the other parts of Raven to make her lose control, but he wasn't going to dwell on that. He had bigger fish to fry, he mused, as he gazed down upon his minions. Mammoth was guarding a heavy-duty winch, while Gizmo was working on some obscure project of his.

While this was happening, Beast Boy also had Kyd Wykkyd scout for more worthy accomplices, and dearest Schizo from a day or so ago was engaged in a three-way fight between each of her copies. The potential in that one seemed limitless. Suddenly, the winch that Mammoth was standing near began to pick up speed, as whatever the rope was attached to also began to move faster. Mammoth reacted instantly, grabbing the winch and turning, reeling whatever it was back up to the surface.

Beast Boy idly wondered why no-one had questioned what they were doing. Although, they'd have an extremely hard time explaining away the 'catch of the day'. Speaking of which, a white froth appeared on the surface, accompanied by thrashing limbs. Not far away, Trident emerged, to report his success at apprehending the target.

As Aqualad was hoisted into the air, Beast Boy was glad that he had thought to use rope that nullifies every known metahuman power. Including telepathy. Smiling, Beast Boy went down and greeted Aqualad. Needless to say, the reaction was amusing. "GAH! Beast Boy? Where the hell have you been? And why the hell are you just standing in the middle of all these villains?" It appeared that the Titans had neglected to inform Titans East about his betrayal.

Answering with his own question, he replied "How long does it take you to get to Titans Tower?"

"About three of four minutes...why?" now Aqualad was confused.

"Well, then. When I let you go, I want you to head straight there, no detours or stops. If you do, you'll probably die."

"Why?" Aqualad's question was answered with a rip of pain across his torso. "AH! What the hell are you doing?" Of course, Beast Boy didn't answer, he just continued to mutilate Aqualad with surgical precision. Once finished, he said, "I estimate you have around ten minutes until you bleed to death. If you hurry, you might actually survive." With that, Beast Boy severed the ropes, letting Aqualad fall into the sea once more. "I wonder how they'll take my message?" he asked himself. "Maybe I should go see."

**

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**

Sorry it's been so long guys! And sorry it's so short as well. I've been having a few problems thinking about what to write. I realise that I've been spending a lot of time writing about happenings in Raven's head, so I'll try to cut back on that. Also, don't be afraid to send me some messages about what you think should happen next; I'm running out of ideas. So, until whenever the next update is, Goodbye!

**~Blodh Skolir**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey there, folks! This is Chapter 12. Not sure what else to say, except thanks to DarkRapture for the round of idea volleyball. Everyone else reading this, you may want to check out his fics. They're well-written, but aren't very developed at the moment since last I heard he's writing them on his mobile. Hope you get your PC soon!**

**REVIEWER THANKS:**

**DarkRapture – I can't help but feel that without you, this fanfiction would have died a LONG time ago.**

**TheLightningKing – I loved the enthusiasm in your review.**

** ~Blodh Skolir

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8:40 AM, Titans Tower, Infirmary

Raven awoke yet again to the sterile roof of the medical bay. This was happening far too often for her liking. _At least Starfire will get used to it, eventually. Maybe then I won't have to suffer her hugs every time I wake up._ The aforementioned Tameranian sped through the door, but Raven managed to phase through into the Common Room just in time to avoid her.

Robin looked up from his coffee and newspaper and smiled. "So, how long before we have to put you back in the infirmary this time?" Raven heard Cyborg laughing from where he was smashing ninjas on the GameStation. Of course, Raven found herself unable to get angry at the two, so she simply told them both the news. Of course, the dim-witted pair thought this was a good thing.

"That's great! You finally have control of your powers!" Robin was eager to see what she was capable of when in full control, and because of this he completely overlooked the point Raven was making. "For now, maybe. What you don't seem to understand is that this could cause a large scale imbalance in my emotions, resulting in mood swings, irregular behaviour and my powers becoming unstable."

Understandably, the others paled. They both knew what that meant. Death, and a lot of it too.

Meanwhile, Starfire was still in the infirmary, worriedly searching for Raven. Raven's pillow was completely destroyed on the off chance that it had somehow eaten her, and the rest of the room was quickly headed the same way. It was painfully obvious that she had found out where they hid the mustard, and had somehow gotten high from the large amounts of it she had consumed. Perhaps Cyborg shouldn't have gotten the brand that was imported from Jamaica.

* * *

Outside

Aqualad stumbled to the door of the tower, blood flowing freely from his wounds. Even if he did not bleed to death, Aqualad was certain that most of the cuts would get infected from the polluted water. By the time Aqualad had made it to the front door of the tower, his vision was wavering and his legs buckling. He knew he didn't have too long left. He managed to raise his hand to ring the doorbell before collapsing onto the rocky ground.

Beast Boy watched from a rocky outcrop nearby, taking the form of a shellfish. Not so long ago he had mastered changing his colour when he changed, but he had hidden it from everyone else so that he had a trump card if things went badly. Not much of one, admittedly, but it would still catch them by surprise.

Once Aqualad had rang the doorbell and collapsed, Beast Boy morphed into a flea and hid in Aqualad's clothes. With it's size, it was the perfect form to use when spying. He looked over when the door opened, revealing Cyborg in all his robotic glory. Of course, being as tall as he was, he didn't notice Aqualad on the ground immediately, wasting precious seconds. Once he had noticed, however, he immediately picked him up and tore off down to the infirmary, his surprising speed making up for time lost.

Once in the infirmary, Cyborg paged the other Titans. Aqualad's wounds were severe, and he needed Raven healing powers to make sure he won't die. By the time the other Titans arrived, Aqualad was hooked up to full life support. Their reactions were predictable, to say the least. Robin swore and headed to his private study, which was finally cleared of all the clippings on Slade. Starfire burst out crying, and Raven immediately stepped forward and contributed her healing powers to the attempt to stop the bleeding.

As Raven's powers spewed forth, she also reached out with her mind for confirmation that Aqualad was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his life force growing stronger. She subconsciously reached out further with her mind, taking solace in the steady pulse of her five companion's life force.

_Wait...five?_ She mentally ticked off names. _Robin, Aqualad, Cyborg, Starfire and..._ instantly she whipped round and lashed out with her powers, creating a large hole in the wall. Obviously, this drew a lot of attention. She responded by simply saying "He's here". Naturally, they all knew who she meant, so they immediately started searching. Cyborg had the bright idea to lock down the tower. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as he had planned. As the steel shutters closed on the door, window, and the hole in the wall, the people inside could make out a figure standing on the other side.

Beast Boy laughed as he typed on a console, and said: "I can't believe you didn't remember to remove my clearance! That was one hell of a mistake you made. As of now, everyone inside the tower has been kicked out of the system. That means no more porn for you, Cyborg, because the same goes for you too." At this, the other Titans looked at Cyborg, who was decent enough to look ashamed. "Bye for now, _friends!_" and then, he morphed into a falcon, and took off just as the shutters slammed shut.

"Aw man! Now what are we gonna do?" Robin just looked at Cyborg. Cyborg sighed; his plan to divert attention away from him had failed. "Alright, alright... look, this lockdown shouldn't take long to get out of. I have every security code in the tower downloaded into my brain. Beast Boy locked _us _out, but he didn't think to lock out himself. Just give me a sec..." Cyborg began typing quickly on a small keyboard in his arm. Almost immediately, the steel shutters began to recede, once more revealing the hole in the wall.

Robin was moving in an instant, searching the debris for anything that could help. All he found was a few hairs and a footprint. Suddenly, an idea came into his mind. Taking a sample jar from his seemingly limitless belt, he scraped up the bottom of the footprint and sealed it inside the jar. Then he took another, smaller jar and placed the hairs in it. He turned round, smiling triumphantly. Until, that is, he saw the other Titans looking at him like he was crazy.

Coughing into his hand, he began to explain. "Look, I know this isn't common knowledge, but I'd expect Cyborg to know this at least. Hairs, when properly analysed, can show what the owner has eaten over a month back. Using this information, we can narrow down the list of potential places he's hiding. Also, if we analyse the chemical make-up of the soil from the footprint, we can find out what substances Beast Boy had on his shoe. That means we can narrow the list down even further."

Cyborg caught on to his line of thinking. "And with both of them, we can probably locate him for sure! I'll get to work analysing these; you head up to your little study and cook up a plan. From what I've seen, we're going to need one". Robin nodded grimly before heading out of the room. Raven was nowhere to be seen. _Probably went to her room to meditate or something._ Starfire, however, looked confused. "Friend Cyborg, please tell me what you meant by 'cook up a plan'. Would it not benefit us if the plan was not grilled, steamed, fried, or...

At that point, Cyborg could barely hold back his laughter. He managed to say "Don't worry about it, Star. It was just an expression". This made sense to Starfire, who proceeded to the kitchen to produce another of her infamous Puddings. Still grinning slightly, Cyborg returned to his work. He was gonna find the grass stain, and when he did, he would personally stamp on him until he regained some sense. Any excuse to beat up on the little guy, after all.

* * *

10:00 AM, Jump City Waterfront, Abandoned Warehouse

Beast Boy arrived back at his base just as Schizophrenia was finishing up on her spar. As the clones melded together, she approached Beast Boy. "What are we to do now, sir?" she asked in the strange symphony that was her voice. "Now, all we have to do is wait until the machine is finished. Once it is, we can destroy that eyesore of a tower, along with the Titans, once and for all!" Beast Boy's reply satisfied the girl, who moved to a corner to converse with her counterparts.

Feeling bored, Beast Boy decided to go flying for a while. He found nothing more calming than the breeze running through his feathers. As he flew, he reflected on how grateful he was for his powers. For him, it was a potent source of catharsis. He could literally feel the stress melt away, left behind on the rolling winds. Once he was sufficiently relaxed, he shifted back to human form as he descended onto the roof of one of the many tall buildings in Jump City.

Beast Boy wasn't too worried about what the Titans were up to. They really didn't give him enough credit. He had planned for every possible outcome. No matter what the Titans tried, he would be ready for them, and they would pay for underestimating him. He grinned, as his face was replaced by that of a blue-eyed, brown-haired man in his mid-twenties. With his powers, there was nothing he could not accomplish. Heedless of the large drop, he stepped off the side of the building and fell into an alley, landing perfectly. _Robin would be so proud,_ he mused, _If only he could see me now._

Walking out of the alley he joined the throng of passers-by outside, as he approached his destination. He still needed a lot of materials for his new project, but that wasn't much of an issue. After all, it would be incredibly difficult to invent a security system that could keep out a man who could alter his genetic structure at will. Now, with none of the other Titans holding him back, he could finally spread his wings, both literally and metaphorically. Heading along the street he continued towards his destination.

* * *

10:20 AM, Titans Tower, Living Room

The people in the living room seemed deceptively calm. Raven was meditating as per usual, Starfire was making another attempt at cooking, Robin was pacing furiously, also common, and Cyborg was wired into a nearby console running a systems check on the tower. However, underneath the relatively calm exterior, a whole different plethora of emotions were running wild. In Raven's case, literally. If you observed closely, you could see the minute twitches of her facial muscles, denoting the war she was waging to try and keep her emotions in check, which was much harder than usual. Occasionally, brief flashes of colour streaked through her cloak, before quickly being suppressed.

Starfire was no longer floating, a clear sign of her emotional trauma. In her anxiety, her mind often wandered away from her cooking, in the general direction of a certain green-skinned team mate that they had all underestimated. Starfire may seem rather... ignorant at times, but beneath her naïve exterior was a strong tactical mind. Being heir to the throne of Tamaran, she would have to know tactics in order to wisely command her troops in case of war. While not being overly enthusiastic about such topics, she couldn't help but absorb most of the information given to her.

Starfire had reconciled herself to the fact that her bubbly team mate had gone rogue, however she firmly believed that the situation was salvageable. If Raven was right, and she usually is, then an outside force was responsible for his actions, and she swore to herself that she would find and destroy whatever was causing her friend to act so hostile.

Cyborg's reasons for plugging himself into the mainframe were not simply routine scans. He was meticulously trawling through each and every file on the Titans database, checking to make sure that Beast Boy had done nothing other than remove their clearance. So far, he had found out that Beast Boy had accessed files containing confiscated technology from the Brotherhood of Evil, but unfortunately could not find out anything else as Beast Boy had masked his progress too thoroughly. One thing troubled him though. How the HELL had Beast Boy suddenly become so smart?

Robin was simply waiting for the test results to come in. The Titans were broken out of their reverie by the chime of the oven in the recently repaired kitchen. They paled, even Raven, when they realised that Starfire would most likely try to get them to eat her..._unique_... brand of cooking. Sure enough, seconds later Starfire walked in carrying a large bowl. "Friends, I am sorry to say that while cooking one of Earth's pasta dishes I found myself distracted, and I believe that my cooking is not up to it's usual standard. However, I would be most grateful if you tried it anyway".

Knowing how much the team meant to her, and how Beast Boy's desertion had affected her, they all nodded their silent agreement. When Beast Boy left, it became apparent just how much their team mates meant to them, and each Titan was grateful that they still had each other. Moving to the dining table, they all sat down and helped themselves to Starfire's cooking. They noted that it was the right colour, even if the texture and consistency left much to be desired. Almost in unison, they each forcefully severed a chunk from the gelatinous blob that was their dinner, and placed it in their mouths. Almost instantly, they all froze. They all thought that this was definitely not Starfire's usual cooking.

It was _delicious.

* * *

_

10:00 PM, Jump City

Beast Boy stalked through the shadows, weaving through them like they were a part of him. Stealthily, he slipped through the doors to an advanced research facility. He had examined the place thoroughly beforehand, as it was the only place he could acquire what he came for, and if he failed to get it then there would most likely not be a next time, and the Titans would invariably figure out what he was trying to do. He took notice of several guards patrolling the lobby, each with a flash-light and a radio. From observing them he had deduced that they would check in with each other once every half an hour, giving him a narrow window in which to work. The guards were not only located in the lobby though; they were spread out around the facility, so removing them all was impossible. Beast Boy's sensitive ears picked up activity on the radios. He smirked.

_It's time._

Waiting until they had finished checking in, Beast Boy darted out from the shadows at speeds impossible for normal humans. He closed in on a guard just as they were turning around. As soon as the guard noticed him, Beast Boy leapt into the air while simultaneously planting his foot into the guard's face, caving in his skull and sending the body soaring through the air, colliding with the wall before landing on the floor with a dull thud. The other guards heard this, and the closest one to Beast Boy took out a handgun and attempted to shoot the intruder.

However, Beast Boy was too quick. With a roundhouse kick, the gun was sent spiralling out of the guard's hands, before Beast Boy planted the palm of his hand in the guard's chest, caving in his ribs and sending him to the floor coughing up blood. By this time the third and final guard had figured out what was happening and was reaching for his radio. Before he could speak, however, Beast Boy morphed his arm into several long, thin tentacles which speared through the guard in multiple places, killing him instantly. Seeing that no-one else remained, Beast Boy removed the tentacles from the body before using them to finish off the other two guards. They would have died anyway, but he had to make sure they didn't set off an alarm. Beast Boy looted one of the corpses, taking the guard's ID badge, before taking a small amount of the man's blood and drinking it.

This was another facet of Beast Boy's powers; he could change his DNA in any way he wanted, but in order to impersonate someone else, he had to acquire a sample of their DNA and ingest it. That way his powers could replicate the DNA perfectly. However, he had yet to find out if it worked on meta-humans. And so, Beast Boy morphed into an exact replica of the dead man and took both his clothes and his radio. That way he could buy himself a little more time if he failed to complete the job in the thirty minute window. Speaking of which, he had already taken five minutes, and he couldn't waste any more time. He speedily mover down the corridors, having memorized his way around when planning the heist with Gizmo. Gizmo had assured him that he had taken care of the CCTV, so that was a relief.

Eventually, BB arrived at a thick steel door, with a keypad and retina scanner, as well as an ID card scanner. This was the part where Beast Boy was glad for his powers. He swept the stolen ID through the slot and pressed his eye to the retina scanner. After a moment the scanner beeped, and a green light flashed. Now was the tricky part; fooling the keypad. Luckily, Gizmo had prepared a little something for the occasion. Beast Boy fished through his pockets before producing a small cuboid, roughly the same size as the keypad. He then pried the cover from the keypad before severing a few wires and attaching them to the cuboid. Finally, he pressed a button on the side of the device, and numbers began flashing through the display on the keypad. After a few moments, the numbers stopped on a 8-digit figure, before the door beeped and unlocked itself. Beast Boy smirked. _Too easy. _Moving through the doorway, Beast Boy found his prize.

* * *

Same time, Security Centre.

A man in a typical guard uniform sat in front of a wall covered in monitors, showing various things from security feeds to a 3D model of the facility. However the guard was not paying attention; he was too busy drinking coffee and reading the latest Playboy magazine. However, his attention was ripped from the magazine's seductive pages when a shrill beeping interrupted. The guard looked at the screens, trying to discern what was wrong. He frowned; Who was accessing the high-security vault? There wasn't a scheduled check-up for tonight. Looking at the other screens, he noticed something was off. Every now and then, the footage would flicker.

Looking closer, the guard saw a guardsman reach a turn in his patrol route, cough, and turn around to follow his route back to its origin. However, a minute later, the guard returned, reached the corner, and coughed again. _SHIT!_ _A loop! _The guard thought, panicking, before he remembered the standard response to such a situation. He hit the silent alarm, before rebooting the system. When the screens flickered back to life, the guard paled at the footage from the lobby. He reached for his radio. "Intruder in the main vault! Get there _now!_" He then grabbed his pistol before running out of the room, heading for the main vault.

* * *

Titans Tower, The time of the alarm.

The team was relaxing in the Common Room, chatting comfortably with each other. It was times like this that they felt glad they had met; the sense of camaraderie in the air was a feeling that they were unable to find elsewhere. However, like all good things, the moment passed when the alarm went off. Robin sighed. "God damn it, what is it now?"

"A break-in at one of the high-tech research facilities. If they pull this off, we could be in serious trouble." Cyborg responded.

"How quickly can the T-car get us there?"

"Not quick enough; it's on the far side of town". Robin growled in annoyance.

"Fine. Raven, can you teleport us there?"

"I can try, but it might not work and we might end up somewhere in the upper atmosphere. The imbalance isn't too bad yet, but it's only a matter of time." At that moment, her cloak flashed through several colours, before fading into grey. However, now there was signs of interference, like an untuned television.

Robin sighed. "Well, we have to try. Let's go." And with that, Raven's dark energy engulfed the team before melting into the floor, leaving an empty room.

* * *

Research Facility, Main Vault

The place was a bloodbath. Bodies littered the floor, some groaning in pain, others completely motionless. As the team walked through the hallway they were in, their faces looked sickly pale. When they found the one responsible, they would make him pay.

Or so they thought.

When they reached the main chamber, they found the place empty. There wasn't anyone in sight, and the pedestal at the centre of the room held nothing. The place was locked down the instant the alarm went, so they knew the culprit couldn't have gone far. The four of them swiftly began searching the room; Cyborg with his mechanical eye set to thermal vision, Raven with her mind and both Robin and Starfire relying on their eyes.

It was almost too easy to find the villain. Both Cyborg and Raven located him first, quickly followed by Starfire and Robin. As the four watched, a section of the wall seemed to peel off, revealing a very pale-skinned Beast Boy. As they watched, he smirked before his skin colour returned to normal. "Knew that wouldn't work for long. Oh well, worth a try." Beast Boy's arm then seemingly doubled in size before he punched the floor, completely shattering it and staggering the Titans.

"Do you want to know the truth about my powers?" He laughed. "They are limitless. You saw it yourself when examining my powers; I can alter my body on a genetic level. I am not just limited to animals, I can be anything that I want." An evil grin spread across his face. "anything at all". His body then began to expand.

His skin colour darkened to the shade of an African-American, and his body seemed to rapidly fill out and his hair receded into his skull. Before long, he stood as a carbon copy replica of Cyborg. That is, when he was still human. "Yo! I'm Victor, nice to meet you!" He yelled, his voice identical to the real Cyborg. Then he laughed and shifted back to his normal self. He examined Cyborg's angry face, then shrugged. "Meh, whatever. Come on, let's fight already. I'm getting bored."

* * *

**Well, I hope that'll keep the reviewers satisfied for a while. Story's coming to an end soon, make sure to review as it's my first story. One, maybe two chapters left, gonna try and get them done soon, so I can move on to other stories. not sure which idea of mine to begin first, though. Meh, whatever**

**Vote time! What sort of ending do you people want? Happy or sad? with or without the Titans? whatever you choose, the pairing will stay Raven/BB but the ending will decide what happens with them. Consider this (hopefully) the end of the hiatus.**

**See you all later!**

**~Blodh Skolir  
**


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